FLORIDA
News-Journal
By Mark I. Johnson
STAFF WRITER
ORLANDO – Prosecutors rested Thursday afternoon in the child-sex trafficking and molestation case in federal court against a self-proclaimed Ormond Beach evangelist.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gable wrapped up her prosecution of Luis E. Morales and Rebeca Rivera with the testimony of two adult sisters who claimed as children they had been molested during an overnight stay at the Morales home in 1998.
The women, who The News-Journal is not identifying because of their claims of sexual abuse, said Morales “pinched” their chests and buttocks during games of hide-and-go-seek and crawled under the bed covers with them, groping them under their clothing.
The sisters said their mother was friends with Morales — also known as “Tito” — and his wife, Linda. But they were afraid to tell their mother about the abuse, which included Morales trying to get them to kiss him on the mouth.
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