Former Long Beach Mormon Church Member Sentenced to 8 Years in Sexual Abuse Case

By Greg Yee
Press-Telegram
October 23, 2015

http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20151023/former-long-beach-mormon-church-member-sentenced-to-8-years-in-sexual-abuse-case

Daniel Montoya, 55, of AZ has already convicted of sexually abusing teen boys from his church in Long Beach in the 1980s. More victims have come forward and he is back in jail.

A former member of a Mormon church in Long Beach was sentenced to eight years in state prison this week after pleading “no contest” to criminal charges in a sexual assault case.

Daniel Montoya, 55, entered the pleas on two counts of sodomy against the victim’s will with a minor 14 or older, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. He has previously been convicted of molesting two teen boys in the 1970s and was arrested again in October 2014 after additional victims came forward.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind,” said Eric Hawkins, an LDS spokesman, in a statement. “Anyone who abuses a child is rightfully subject to both formal sanction from the Church — including loss of membership — and criminal prosecution. Montoya has been excommunicated from the Church, the most severe penalty we can impose. We have been supportive of the efforts of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute this case.”

One of the recent victims told police that Montoya called in April and began asking about his 8-year-old son, according to a police statement at the time of his arrest.

Montoya molested that man as a teen in the late 1980s, said Marlene Arrona, spokeswoman for the police department, shortly after his arrest in 2014.

Members of the Long Beach Sexual Assault Investigation team looked into the claims and found four more men who said Montoya sexually abused them when they were teens, officials said.

Through the investigation, detectives also learned that in 1986, Montoya pleaded guilty to molesting two boys who were members of his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Long Beach.

He received three years probation, was ordered to attend psychotherapy treatment and is required to register as a sex offender.

Montoya eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where police said he lived without registering as a sex offender. Charges that he failed to register as a sex offender when he moved were dropped, according to court records.

Authorities believe Montoya befriended the teenage victims then began sexually molesting them.

Investigators were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Montoya from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in September 2014 and he was arrested the next month.

Detectives believe there are additional victims who have not yet come forward. They ask anyone who had similar contact with Montoya or information regarding someone who has to contact Long Beach Sexual Assault Investigation Detective Jennifer Kearns at 562-570-5514.

Anyone who wants to remain anonymous can call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.LACrimeStoppers.com.