A Union County grand jury has returned a four-count indictment against a former Catholic priest once affiliated with a church in Plainfield who is accused of sexually assaulting a teenager a little more than 13 years ago, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.
Manuel Gallo Espinoza, 52, is charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
Espinoza’s whereabouts are currently unknown, although he is believed to be living in Ecuador.
The grand jury determined that Espinoza sexually assaulted the then-16-year-old victim in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on West Sixth Street in Plainfield on at least one occasion in early 2003.
Anyone with information about this matter or Espinoza’s whereabouts is being urged to contact Sgt. Patricia Gusmano with the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit at 908-965-3890.
The Union County Crime Stoppers also are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477), via text message by texting “UCTIP” plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or online at www.uctip.org.
Convictions on second-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by 5 to 10 years in state prison.
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