An ex-Catholic priest in South Carolina faces nearly 22 years in prison after a court found him guilty of trying to assault a boy sexually. According to the court documents, the former priest attempted to assault a boy sexually and showed him pornography.
According to the lawsuit, Jamie Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, 69, could have faced a life sentence. However, federal Judge Mary Geiger Lewis granted part of a defense motion for a lighter prison term. Hence, she sentenced the priest to 21 years and 10 months in prison.
Also, the judge sentenced Gonzalez-Farias to lifetime monitoring if he ever gets parole. Known in several parishes as “Father Gonzales,” Gonzalez-Farias was a priest for more than 30 years. According to court records, he came to the United States in 2001 after the church ordained him in his native Chile over three decades ago.
However, the church sent him to serve three small South Carolina churches in Newberry, Joanna, and Laurens in 2020. There, he met the family of an 11-year-old boy. According to the federal prosecutors, Gonzalez-Farias lavished attention on the boy and his family.
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The ex-catholic priest gave them gifts and other items. He also took the boy on a beach vacation to Florida in November 2020. However, FBI agents claim he attempted to sexually assault the child and behaved in other sexually inappropriate ways. In addition, he showed pornography to the 11-year-old boy.
During the lengthy lawsuit, the ex-catholic priest pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Hence, his lawyer asked for a 10-year sentence. The lawyer claims his guilty plea kept the boy and his family from having to testify and relive what happened.
Besides pleading guilty, Gonzalez-Farias reached out to the boy’s family, apologizing for his deeds. The ex-catholic priest wrote a letter to the boy’s family, saying he knew he hurt them. He apologized for hurting their son and violating their trust.
“I have failed to God, to our Catholic Church,” Gonzalez-Farias wrote. “And to you, who opened the door of your home for me and let your son spend time with me.” During the trial, the defense’s court papers included several notes of support from Gonzalez-Farias’ parishioners across the US.
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However, some were in Spanish. Many said they couldn’t believe the ex-catholic priest was capable of abusing a child. Before he became a priest, Gonzalez-Farias worked in medical technology in Chile. Afterward, he started attending spiritual retreats with monks.
Eventually, the defense said, he transitioned into the priesthood. The ex-catholic priest reportedly worked in New Jersey and Florida when he first came to the US in 2001. However, he went back to Chile years later. Afterward, he returned to the US in 2015.
Following his return, court records claim Gonzalez-Farias spent five years at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Greer, South Carolina. Afterward, the church sent him to smaller churches, where he tried to assault a minor sexually.
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