Man Who Posed As Pastor Convicted on 26 Molestation Counts

By Peter Larson
Orange County Register
July 12, 2012

http://www.ocregister.com/news/perez-363201-victims-lewd.html

A Laguna Hills man who had acted as a pastor bowed his head and stared forward Wednesday as he was convicted of molesting five boys from the congregation during visits to his Lake Forest apartment.

A jury of seven women and five men deliberated less than two hours before finding Oscar Perez, 69, guilty of 22 counts of lewd acts upon a child younger than 14, four counts of lewd acts on a child, and sentencing enhancements for lewd acts against multiple victims.

Oscar Perez

Perez faces a maximum sentence of 330 years to life in prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker said Perez asked victims' parents to have their sons sleep over when he felt sick. The victims assisted Perez with services at Iglesia Antigua, a church that rented space at a Laguna Hills Episcopal Church, where he represented himself as a Catholic and Apostolic pastor and bishop.

The sexual assault varied and included inappropriate touching and kissing, Walker said. One victim was awakened by Perez sodomizing him, she said.

The prosecutor said the victims believed they would go to hell if they told anyone. The mother of the first went to the Orange County Sheriff's Department last July, and that investigation revealed the other four.

"I just admire the strength of these victims," Walker said. "For the first to come forward, and then the other four, not only to law enforcement, but to come into court with total strangers and church members present."

Defense attorney Case Barnett argued Perez never touched the victims inappropriately and said their stories escalated to that point during police interviews. He said Perez was discussing puberty and circumcision with the boys.

Superior Court Judge Steven Bromberg remanded bail and scheduled Perez's sentencing for Sept. 14.

Contact the writer: plarson@ocregister.com