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Officials to Announce Two New Civil Lawsuits against Ontario Church's Former Pastor By Sandra Emerson San Bernardino Sun September 22, 2011 http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_18953769 Two new civil lawsuits have been filed against Rev. Alejandro Castillo and the Diocese of San Bernardino on the behalf of two brothers in Castillo's parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Ontario. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, held a press conference outside of the church Thursday to announce the lawsuits as well as to call out to any other victims of Castillo. "For us, we got Alex Castillo behind bars, but what's important is to hold accountable the people who covered up for him," said Joelle Casteix, western regional director for SNAP. "It's the institutional cover up that puts kids at risk. That's why these suits are so important." Castillo, 58, last month was sentenced to one year in prison for committing lewd sexual acts with a 12-year-old boy in his parish. Castillo pleaded no contest as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that carried a one year sentence in jail. The boy involved in the criminal conviction, now 15 years old, as well as his older brother, 18, have filed two new lawsuits against Castillo. The suits charge that the priest had a 20-year history of predatory behavior, which was well known by San Bernardino church officials, according to SNAP. The suits also contend that Castillo was intentionally placed in poor, Spanish speaking communities where children are less likely to report and when church officials were informed of the abuse allegations in 2010, they refused to report the crimes to law enforcement. |
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