Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
An illegal alien from Honduras was arrested on Apr. 15 and charged with threatening a victim involved in a sexual exploitation case in the Western District of Virginia.
Dania Orellana-Gamez, age 20, faces one count of witness tampering after being taken into custody and making her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville. The charge stems from alleged threats made to the victim of a previously filed sexual exploitation case.
Orellana-Gamez is identified as the girlfriend of Bryan Sixto Arias-Chicas, who was charged in October 2025 for allegedly sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl from Albemarle County, Virginia. According to court documents, Arias-Chicas is accused of incapacitating the minor through intoxication and then repeatedly assaulting her while also recording videos and taking photos. Gustavo Quintero was later charged in January 2026 for additional acts involving the same victim as well as assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.
Court documents state that Orellana-Gamez contacted the minor via Facebook Messenger in February 2026, harassing and threatening her by saying it would be best to "keep quiet" or risk having explicit videos released online. The complaint alleges she threatened to "upload all those videos and put your name on them" and post them "everywhere." The victim reported these contacts to law enforcement out of concern that Orellana-Gamez was trying to prevent her testimony.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Eric Weindorf announced the arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia prosecutes federal crimes and handles civil litigation for the government, working closely with law enforcement agencies across western Virginia according to its official website. The office promotes public safety through crime prevention initiatives, maintains offices throughout several cities including Roanoke, Charlottesville, Abingdon, Lynchburg, Danville and Harrisonburg, operates under the Department of Justice umbrella according to official information, covers western portions of Virginia according to its website, partners with various levels of law enforcement according to official sources, and runs outreach programs aimed at community well-being as described by officials.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
