Priest Urbano Vazquez Convicted of Sexual Abuse

WASHINGTON – The grim tale of Urbano Vazquez’s predatory behavior has reached a conclusion in Washington, D.C. The 49-year-old priest was found guilty yesterday by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for sexually abusing an adult woman while serving as a religious figure in Northwest Washington.

Vazquez faced one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse and was handed a sentence of 180 days, the maximum allowed. This term will be served consecutively to his current 15-year sentence for four felony counts of child sexual abuse, which he received in 2019.

According to evidence presented by the government, Vazquez, while employed as a priest at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in April 2017, twice touched an adult parishioner’s breast without her consent during a confession. He had previously commented on her appearance and marital status. After the incident, the victim alerted her mother, who advised her to steer clear of Vazquez.

When allegations against Vazquez of molesting child parishioners emerged in 2018, the adult woman disclosed the abuse to another priest at the church, leading to law enforcement involvement.

In August 2019, a jury found Vazquez guilty of four counts of child sexual abuse against two children. The U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department Robert J. Contee III commended the dedicated efforts of the investigators and prosecution team in this case.

Survivors seeking assistance or reporting clergy abuse can contact the Clergy Abuse English and Spanish Reporting Line at 202-252-7008 or send an email to USADC.ReportClergyAbuse@usdoj.gov. Further information is available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia website.