A Long Island pastor has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child following an FBI investigation that uncovered thousands of videos, images, and text implicating him in "unspeakable crimes."
Jose Saez Jr., a 29-year-old father of three young children, was arrested in 2023 for using an encrypted messaging service to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors, and for possessing and distributing child pornography.
Saez revealed alarming details of his crimes in conversation with an undercover law enforcement officer, stating his "sweet spot" was molesting children between the ages of 11 and 15, but that he had sexually abused an infant, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The pastor also admitted to finding his younger victims at church, preying on the children of his "friends and family," and grooming a 16-year-old boy who is identified in court documents as John Doe.
Court documents, reviewed by The Christian Post, state that Saez engaged John Doe on Telegram, groomed him with flattery and proceeded to asking him for nude images and video despite John Doe's repeated references to his status as a minor. Over 20 videos of the 16-year-old were recovered during a subsequent raid of Saez's home, which were found to have been shared with others. Roughly 6,800 chats, 12,000 videos and 400,000 images were reviewed in the investigation.
"I told a [third-party with who I reside with] never to leave me alone with the kids," Saez told investigators during questioning. "I am sorry that I can't stop."
"The defendant's sexual exploitation of minors, both in person and online, is horrific, and he now faces at least 15 years in prison for his unspeakable crimes," U.S. Attorney John. J. Durham stated. "The defendant not only admitted to sexually abusing young children, but also discussed his church and his congregants as targets of additional abuse. His sustained exploitation of children—in person and online—is clear, and this plea is a step forward on the road to justice for his victims."
Saez faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison but may be sentenced to as many as 30. Anyone with additional information regarding sexual exploitation by the defendant is asked to contact the FBI.
