Families Outraged as Drunk Driver Who Killed Teens Set for Early Release in California

Shock and heartbreak are hitting Orange County once again as the families of two teenagers killed in a horrifying high-speed crash are fighting to keep the man responsible behind bars. Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, 43, who was both drunk and high while driving at almost 100 mph in November 2021, is slated to be released early—over six years before finishing his 10-year sentence. That sound you hear? It's justice slamming on the brakes.

Ortega-Anguiano plowed into the car of 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin on the 405 freeway, killing them both as their vehicle caught fire. Convicted in 2022 of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, many are stunned he could soon walk free after such a devastating crime. Anya's father, Anatoly Varfolomeev, hasn't touched his daughter's room since her death, and he calls the early release "disgusting." He fears that Ortega-Anguiano, who has already been deported twice, will simply return again if released.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer for Ortega-Anguiano's arrest after his expected release by California authorities. But with California's sanctuary policies, there are real doubts about whether the state will cooperate. Still, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says it usually honors ICE detainers, so there may be hope for federal custody.

Ortega-Anguiano's history reads like a rap sheet greatest hits: burglary in 2005, vehicle theft in 2007, battery on a spouse with kidnapping in 2014, and now the deaths of two young people. He’s been deported multiple times and always seems to find his way back into the country, sometimes even using fake documents. ICE has chased him across several years and states, but he keeps reappearing—like a really terrible sequel nobody asked for.

The notice of Ortega-Anguiano's release, reviewed by the victims' families, suggests he could be back in Garden Grove soon. The California prison system says they can't reveal release dates or locations in advance for "safety and security reasons." Credits earned for rehabilitation programs can also move up parole dates, which is how Ortega-Anguiano has managed to shave years off his sentence.

The families say this feels like an insult, especially given Ortega-Anguiano’s track record of returning to the U.S. despite multiple deportations. They're left to wonder if public safety means anything when someone with his history is released so early.

"I hope he's going to stay in prison. I hope that he's gonna get old in prison and I hope he's getting kicked out from our country in the end," said Pavel Osokin, Nicholay’s father. He’s also baffled by the math: "Three years for killing two kids! Why give them 10 if they're gonna spend five, and then three? Give them three in the beginning, at least we know what to expect. It's sort of spitting in my face."