— Armand Garcia was charged in connection with a 2014 incident and pleaded guilty Monday to crimes related to child sex abuse.
By Max Bennett
A former Philadelphia Catholic priest pleaded guilty to corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor in court Monday, authorities said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said Armand Garcia, 54, entered the plea after a survivor of Garcia’s sexual abuse delivered a victim impact statement to the Court of Common Pleas.
Garcia was arrested Monday, March 4, 2019, at 8 a.m. in connection with an incident that occurred on the 800 block of Cathedral Road on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014
The complaining witness, who was 13 years old when she first met Garcia at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish elementary school in Andorra, told the court of the PTSD and trauma she endures daily due to Garcia’s abuse and manipulations.
She also told the court of her family’s generational ties to the parish and Catholic Church – which they have severed because “no one thought to intervene” in Garcia’s improper, criminal conduct.
“I want to thank the survivor of then-clergy Armand Garcia’s foul crimes for persevering despite many procedural and pandemic-related delays since she first contacted authorities in 2017 to report Garcia’s crimes against her that began when she was a child,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “Armand Garcia will never again be allowed to abuse his position of trust as clergy and will never again be allowed to use the church to access vulnerable victims.”
In addition to contacting the DA’s Special Investigations Unit directly, survivors of sexual abuse and rape seeking counseling and services are encouraged to contact WOAR Philadelphia’s 24/7 hotline at 215-985-3333.
Garcia will be sentenced in January 2024.
Complete Article ↪HERE↩!