COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – A former Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jamie Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, 68, of Laurens, a former Catholic priest, pleaded guilty in federal court to Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity.
Gonzalez-Farias admitted that he transported a minor victim from South Carolina to Florida with the intent to commit lewd and lascivious exhibition and lewd and lascivious molestation in violation of Florida state law.
According to evidence presented in court, Gonzalez-Farias served as a Catholic priest in Newberry and Laurens Counties. In May 2020, he met the minor victim and his family by virtue of his service as a priest.
He began giving gifts and increasing amounts of attention towards the minor victim. In November 2020, the minor victim’s family reported to Catholic authorities their concern that the priest’s relationship with the minor victim was inappropriate.
Church authorities suspended Gonzalez-Farias and made a report to the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, and an investigation ensued.
The FBI conducted a forensic interview in which the minor victim disclosed that in November 2020, when the minor victim was 11 years-old, the priest took him to Florida under the pretense of a beach vacation.
During that trip, Gonzales-Farias masturbated in front of the minor victim, attempted to sexually assault the minor victim, and showed the minor victim pornography.
The FBI corroborated the victim’s disclosures by recovering text messages and WhatsApp messages sent by the priest to the minor, which were consistent with the victim’s disclosures.
When the FBI and the United States Marshals Service arrested Gonzales-Farias at the Miami International Airport, he admitted that he showered with the victim, that he touched the minor victim’s genitals, and that he showed the minor victim pornography.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Gonzalez-Farias after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, plus fines and restitution.
The statute also requires the defendant to register as a sex offender.
The FBI is seeking the public’s help in identifying potential victims. If you believe you or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Gonzalez-Farias, or if you have relevant information about Gonzalez-Farias the FBI should know, you are encouraged to contact the FBI at 803-551-4200.
Related Federal Cases
- Tyler Michael Berlick, Child Sex Abuse, South Carolina 2023 · Wisconsin
- Tyler Michael Berlick, Child Exploitation, South Carolina 2023 · Wisconsin
- Juan Brandon Gray-Sommerville, Sex Trafficking of a Minor, North Carolina 2013 · South Dakota
- Raceland Man Charged With Child Sex Exploitation · Georgia
- New Orleans Man Charged with Child Sex Exploitation · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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