The court has issued a deportation order for a priest found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage girl from 2005 to 2009 while serving at the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in Laurel. This heinous crime led to a 9-year sentence in 2021 after pleading guilty to multiple sex offenses.
Acting US Attorney Alexander Van Hook stated, “The United States Department of Justice, ICE, and our federal law enforcement partners are committed to using every tool available to protect children. We will prosecute and seek deportation of individuals who fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship.”
The priest, Velez-Lopez, arrived in the US as a temporary religious worker in 2003, gained permanent residency in 2007, and submitted a fraudulent application in March 2013. Prosecutors revealed that he also lied to a USCIS officer during an interview two months later, falsely denying providing misleading information during the citizenship process.
While working at the Maryland parish under the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Velez-Lopez faced allegations of sexually abusing the young victim. The victim reported the abuse in 2016. The former cleric was arrested in February 2020 for this despicable crime after being relocated to the Archdiocese of Alexandria, Louisiana.
Currently serving his state prison sentence at the Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland, Velez-Lopez received a 12-month time served sentence on his federal charge and a year of supervised release. After completing both sentences, he will be transferred to the custody of ICE.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth emphasized, “This case sends a clear message to individuals who commit any type of sexual offense, especially those involving children, during the naturalization process. Justice will be served.” The Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation vows to hold individuals accountable for sexual offenses, particularly those involving child victims.
If you have been sexually assaulted and reside in New York, please seek free and confidential crisis counseling by calling 1-800-942-6906. For those outside the state, the National Sexual Assault hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673.
