A former deacon at St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church in Woodside pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting three young boys in Brooklyn federal court on Friday, Sept. 16.
Rogelia Vega, 52, of 59th Drive in Maspeth, pleaded guilty to three counts of enticing a child to engage in sexual conduct before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara. When sentenced, Vega faces a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
According to court filings, between 2015 and January 2021, Vega used the Kik Internet messaging application, which is marketed to teens, and the Grindr app, which is marketed to the LGBTQ community, to express his interest in “young guys” and coerce and entice three young men between the ages of 14 and 16 to meet him for sexual acts. A review of the messages found on Vega’s cellphones revealed a series of messages in which the victims identified themselves as underage and the defendant arranged to meet them for sexual encounters in his car or at motels.
“The defendant’s use of the internet, including apps targeted to children, to sexually exploit minors is reprehensible,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Protecting children from online predators will always be a priority of this office.”
The former deacon, a married father of four, began communicating with an undercover detective, who Vega believed to be a 14-year-old boy, according to the Queens district attorney’s office. The two continued to chat, even after the officer told the deacon he was a child.
The sting operation led to the seizure of his cellphone, which showed that on three separate occasions, Vega sent photos of his genitals to the officer and made several requests to meet the person he believed to be a teen in person for oral sex.
“These were not just poor decisions on Mr. Vega’s part, they were calculated, despicable wrongs,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. “Today’s guilty plea holds him responsible for his actions and prevents him from causing any additional harm. And he will be forever branded as a predator who used the internet to prey on underage victims for his own sexual gratification.”
Following his arrest in January 2021, Vega was removed from his duties at St. Sebastian Church by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
“Immediately upon the arrest of Rogelio Vega in January 2021, the Diocese of Brooklyn removed him from ministry, which prohibited him from ministering as a deacon and performing liturgical duties. Following today’s admission of guilt in federal court, the Diocese of Brooklyn has reaffirmed that Mr. Vega is not recognized as a deacon and the process has begun to have him permanently removed from ministry,” the Diocese said in a statement. “We pray for the three victims in this case. May today’s resolution be a first step toward healing.”
Anyone who has been the victim of clergy sexual abuse is encouraged to report it to law enforcement or to the toll-free reporting line established by the Diocese at 888-634-4499. All calls are forwarded to law enforcement officials.
