A Long Island pastor is facing up to three decades in prison for possessing sexually explicit images and videos of young boys he chatted with online – a crime federal prosecutors condemned as “unspeakable.”
Jose Saez, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Central Islip Federal Court to sexual exploitation of a child for soliciting the sickening content on an encrypted messaging service where he engaged in obscene conversations with minors, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said the disgraced cleric also had graphic conversations with an undercover agent in August 2023, admitting to sexually abusing an infant and seeking out younger victims at “church.”
Saez – a pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Alumbrando El Camino church in Brentwood – told the operative that his “sweet spot” was molesting children between the ages of 11 and 15, prosecutors said.
“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,” United States Attorney John J. Durham said in a statement.
“That he held a position of trust and responsibility as a pastor of a local church makes his conduct even more reprehensible. Protecting vulnerable children from predators like this defendant will always be a priority of this Office.”
The father of three was arrested on Sept. 28, 2023 after the FBI’s Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force received an online tip that the pastor was sexually active with children.
Investigators uncovered 15 disturbing videos in a saved conversation on Telegram from the perv’s phone while executing a search warrant at his Brentwood home, according to the criminal complaint.
One video included a 16-year-old boy performing sex acts, the complaint said.
Saez told officers at the time he knew the minor was a high school student and had requested the boy send him the videos – which he saved and sent to at least 10 people.
He also admitted that he engaged in similar conduct with multiple other minors, telling officers, “I’m sorry that I cannot stop,” according to the complaint.
At the time of his arrest, the feds believed the deranged preacher started targeting young boys in 2000 and contacted his victims using Snapchat, Telegram, and KIK – a platform where he pretended to be a woman of varied ages, according to the FBI’s New York Division.
Saez faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 3, prosecutors said.
“The defendant not only admitted to sexually abusing young children, but also discussed his church and his congregants as targets of additional abuse,” FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Leslie Backschies said.
“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. Children are among the most vulnerable in our communities, and the FBI will stop at nothing to make sure they are protected and the monsters who would do them harm are put behind bars.”
The pastor’s lawyer did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
