Who Is Estevan Gabriel Martinez-Garcia? Florida Jiu-Jitsu Coach Arrest

Estevan Gabriel Martinez-Garcia is a 33-year-old former jiu-jitsu coach at Bully Me Now in Port Orange, Florida, who was arrested in New Mexico after police accused him of grooming and having sexual contact with a 16-year-old student he coached.

Port Orange police allege that the inappropriate relationship lasted from spring 2025 through spring 2026 and included sexual contact, sexually explicit communications and sexual images sent to the teenager. Martinez-Garcia had moved to New Mexico by the time investigators obtained a warrant.

He was arrested in Albuquerque on September 9, 2026. Police say a Port Orange detective traveled to New Mexico and that Martinez-Garcia subsequently confessed to the allegations. He remained in custody pending extradition to Florida in the latest reporting reviewed for this page.

The criminal charges remain allegations, and Martinez-Garcia has not been convicted.

What Is Estevan Martinez-Garcia Charged With?

Martinez-Garcia faces multiple Florida felony charges connected to his alleged relationship with the 16-year-old student. Port Orange police identified the charges as unlawful sexual activity involving a 16- or 17-year-old by an offender age 24 or older, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, harmful explicit communication to a minor and lewd or lascivious written solicitation of a minor. [CBS12] [FOX 35 Orlando]

The Daytona Beach News-Journal similarly reported the same four categories of charges based on the Port Orange Police Department’s announcement. [Daytona Beach News-Journal via AOL]

What Is Martinez-Garcia Accused Of Doing?

Police accuse Martinez-Garcia of grooming a 16-year-old student who trained at the Port Orange martial arts academy where he worked. Investigators say the alleged conduct occurred between spring 2025 and spring 2026. [CBS12]

According to police, the alleged grooming escalated to sexual contact between Martinez-Garcia and the teenager. Detectives also accuse him of sending sexual images to the student. [WFTV] [FOX 35 Orlando]

Police have not publicly identified the teenager. [CBS12]

Police Say Martinez-Garcia Confessed After His Arrest

Port Orange police say Martinez-Garcia gave investigators a full confession after officers located him in New Mexico. A detective with the Port Orange Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit traveled to Albuquerque and was present when Martinez-Garcia was arrested. [CBS12]

WFTV reported the same account from police, saying investigators claimed they obtained a full confession from Martinez-Garcia after his arrest. [WFTV]

The statement about a confession comes from law enforcement. The contents of the alleged confession had not been publicly released in the reporting reviewed for this page.

When Was Estevan Martinez-Garcia Arrested?

Martinez-Garcia was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 9, 2026. Port Orange detectives had determined during their investigation that he was no longer living in Florida and believed he had relocated to the Albuquerque area. [CBS12]

The Albuquerque Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension Support Team assisted Port Orange investigators in locating and arresting him. [WFTV]

Martinez-Garcia remained in custody pending extradition proceedings that would eventually return him to Florida, according to the initial reports following his arrest. [WFTV]

How Did Police Learn About The Allegations?

The Port Orange Police Department says its Criminal Investigations Division was notified about the alleged relationship on July 20, 2026. The case was then handled by the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit. [CBS12]

Detectives conducted interviews and collected evidence over several weeks before obtaining an arrest warrant. [WFTV]

By that point Martinez-Garcia had left Florida, leading detectives to work with Albuquerque police to locate him. [FOX 35 Orlando]

Gym Owner Says People Had Raised Concerns About The Coach

Bully Me Now owner Victor Ezeir told WFTV that multiple people had expressed concerns about Martinez-Garcia’s interactions with the teenager months before police became involved. Ezeir said people told him over a period of approximately 10 months that interactions between the coach and student made them uncomfortable. [WFTV]

Ezeir acknowledged that he did not initially contact police because the teenager denied that inappropriate conduct was occurring. He said he eventually fired Martinez-Garcia. [WFTV]

Ezeir told the station that he regretted not going to authorities sooner and said the case had changed the way he viewed the amount of trust given to adults coaching children. [WFTV]

What Prompted The Gym Owner To Revisit The Situation?

Ezeir said messages from a woman who knew Martinez-Garcia caused him to reconsider earlier concerns. According to Ezeir’s account to WFTV, he showed the messages to the teenager and again asked whether something inappropriate had been happening. [WFTV]

Ezeir said that conversation led to the allegations becoming known. Port Orange police began their investigation in July. [WFTV]

Those details about what occurred inside the gym before the police investigation come from Ezeir’s account and should be distinguished from allegations investigators say they independently substantiated during the criminal investigation.

The Gym Owner Says Martinez-Garcia Was Fired

Ezeir told WFTV that Martinez-Garcia was ultimately fired from Bully Me Now before moving away from Florida. [WFTV]

The gym owner said Martinez-Garcia subsequently left Florida. Police later tracked him to Albuquerque, where he was arrested in September. [WFTV]

Ezeir also told the station that the gym did not previously have formal policies he could revise in response to the case, but said he planned to restrict the type of access an adult male coach could have inside the facility going forward. [WFTV]

Who Is Estevan Gabriel Martinez-Garcia?

Martinez-Garcia was an adult coach at Bully Me Now, a mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu academy in Port Orange. Port Orange police identified him as a coach when announcing the arrest. [CBS12]

The academy advertises Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, wrestling and self-defense instruction for adults and children. [Bully Me Now]

Its published schedule includes separate programs for children ages 4 to 8, youths ages 9 to 12 and teenagers ages 13 to 17, in addition to adult classes. [Bully Me Now]

Police say the alleged victim was a 16-year-old student who trained at the academy while Martinez-Garcia worked there. [CBS12]

What Does Florida Law Say About Sexual Activity With A 16- Or 17-Year-Old?

Florida law makes it a second-degree felony for a person age 24 or older to engage in defined sexual activity with someone who is 16 or 17. [Florida Statutes §794.05]

That is the statute underlying the most serious category of sexual-activity allegation publicly identified against Martinez-Garcia.

The statute also provides that the alleged victim’s previous sexual conduct is not relevant to prosecution under the law. [Florida Statutes §794.05]

The filing of a charge under that provision does not establish that Martinez-Garcia violated it. Prosecutors must prove the alleged offense in court.

What Is Unlawful Use Of A Two-Way Communications Device?

Florida law makes it a third-degree felony to use a two-way communications device to facilitate or further the commission of a felony. The definition can include a portable wireless communications device such as a cellphone. [Florida Statutes §934.215]

Police accuse Martinez-Garcia of sending sexual communications and images to the teenager, and unlawful use of a communications device is among the charges identified after his arrest. [CBS12]

What Is Harmful Communication To A Minor?

Florida law prohibits adults from engaging in a pattern of communications with a minor that contains explicit and detailed descriptions of sexual activity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement and is harmful to minors. Violating the statute is a third-degree felony. [Florida Statutes §847.01385]

The law states that a minor’s consent or misrepresentation of age generally cannot be raised as a defense to the offense. [Florida Statutes §847.01385]

Police have charged Martinez-Garcia with a harmful-communication offense in connection with the alleged relationship. [FOX 35 Orlando]

What Is Lewd Or Lascivious Written Solicitation Of A Minor?

Florida law makes it a third-degree felony for someone age 24 or older to solicit a 16- or 17-year-old in writing to commit a lewd or lascivious act. [Florida Statutes §794.053]

Port Orange police identified written solicitation of a minor among the charges Martinez-Garcia faces. [CBS12]

Did Martinez-Garcia Flee Florida Because Of The Investigation?

Police have established that Martinez-Garcia moved to New Mexico, but the available reporting does not establish why he moved or that he fled specifically to avoid arrest.

Investigators learned during the case that he no longer lived in Florida and was believed to be in Albuquerque. They subsequently obtained assistance from Albuquerque police to locate him. [CBS12]

Describing Martinez-Garcia simply as having “fled” Florida would therefore go beyond what police have publicly established.

Has Estevan Martinez-Garcia Been Extradited To Florida?

The latest initial reporting said Martinez-Garcia remained in New Mexico custody while extradition proceedings were pending. [WFTV]

Port Orange police expect the criminal case to proceed in Florida because the alleged conduct occurred while Martinez-Garcia was working in Port Orange.

No reliable report reviewed for this page established that the extradition process had been completed.

Has Estevan Martinez-Garcia Been Convicted?

No. Martinez-Garcia has been arrested and accused of several felony offenses, but he has not been convicted.

Police say he confessed after his arrest, but that allegation does not eliminate the prosecution’s obligation to establish guilt through the criminal court process. [WFTV]

The publicly reported case was still at the arrest and extradition stage following his September 9 detention in Albuquerque.