Self-Appointed Pastor Sentenced For Molesting Two Boys In His Congregation
WESTMINSTER (CBSLA.com) — An Orange County man who hosted Bible study meetings at his home was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in prison for molesting two male relatives.
James Ray Guerrero, 54, was found guilty of eight felony counts of committing lewd acts on a child, along with a single felony count of showing pornography to a minor. Jurors also found him guilty of a sentencing enhancements on eight counts for multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct on six of the counts.
Prosecutors had argued Guerrero be sentenced to 120 years to life, but OC Superior Court Judge Michael Beecher ruled in favor of a lesser sentence.
The self-appointed pastor had the boys over to his home, which he used to host bible studies and church meetings for a congregation of approximately 50 people.
Guerrero began molesting the boys when they were around 12 years old and showed them porn movies, Deputy District Attorney Bobby Taghavi said.
The church leader took in one of the boys when his relatives could not, and exposed him to repeated sexual assaults from late 2006 to 2007, according to Taghavi.
Guerrero told both victims not to tell anyone about the abuse.
The other boy in the case was molested in 2007 when he spent the night at Guerrero's home. In 2009, the boy, then 15, told his family what happened, triggering an investigation.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
