The Pastor of an Ohio church found himself in trouble when his special brand of ministering caused his arrest and conviction on a federal charge of sexually coercing a minor female. He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison.
According to court documents, media reports, various sources, and analysis, this is the story:
Pastor Cesar Agusto Guerrero Jr., 43, was tending to his flock at the Mision Cristiana el Calvario Church, in Sharonville, a town not far from Cincinnati, when a 17-year-old girl who attended his church caught his attention. He learned she was molested as a child in her native Guatemala.
Eager to minister to the needs of his parishioners, the Pastor contacted the 17-year-old through Facebook Messenger and told her about a dream he had of her dressed in white and walking in a dark place.
God had spoken to him, he said, and it was revealed that the only way to get out of the dark place was for her to undergo a spiritual “cleansing process.”
After citing Bible verses that he said showed this cleansing was necessary, Pastor Guerrero told her he wanted a preliminary examination — which is why she needed to be nude when she made the video call with him.
To ensure he could cleanse her fully, he said he also needed to see photos of her genitalia.
On the day appointed, which was in July 2019, the teen met with Pastor Guerrero alone at his office in the church.
The Pastor began the cleansing with a process, he said, that would “free her mouth.” Dropping his clerical pants, the Pastor told the teen to perform fellatio on him in order to effect the cleansing. While she was engaged in this, the Pastor quoted Bible scriptures and offered prayers.
After freeing her mouth, he told the girl that a more intense cleansing was to follow, which was the cleansing of her vagina.
The teen must have been concerned that what she was doing was not righteous or holy but possibly the act of having sex with a man old enough to be her father, who was also her pastor, and inside her own church.
Pastor Guerrero assured her that God had told him it was necessary. To disobey was disobeying God Himself.
The girl complied. After concluding the session, the Pastor realized another cleansing would be required. The teen girl was told to come back for a second time, which she did about two weeks later, where the Pastor ministered to her in similar fashion.
It was about a year later when police showed up to question the Pastor about the 17-year-old girl.
It is not known if God told Pastor Guerrero not to contact a lawyer before answering questions from the police, but he did answer their questions and he made a confession.
A few days later, information was presented to officials with the FBI and Sharonville Police about a second teenager who had been ministered to by Pastor Guerrero, beginning when she was 14.
The Pastor told the child to demonstrate how she kissed her boyfriend. Then he told her that if she was a true child of God she would obey him, for Gold commanded that she should have sexual contact with him.
In a plea deal, Pastor Guerrero pleaded guilty to a charge of coercion and enticement. The statutory penalty is a prison term of at least 10 years and up to life, plus supervised release of at least five years, and a $250,000 fine. Pastor Guerrero got the minimum possible sentence.
US Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz, who presided at the arraignment, denied the Pastor bail and, as of this date, the pastor has more than a year of time served. With good behavior, he could be released from custody sometime in 2028.
God willing, he will be fully cleansed by then.
Photo courtesy WCPO-TV. Pedo Pastor Cesar A. Guerrero [r] at his arraignment in Hamilton County. The case was later transferred to federal court.
