DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN – Rogelio Vega, a former deacon at St. Sebastian’s Woodside Church, who pleaded guilty last year to enticing three minors to have sex, was sentenced Wednesday, March 15, to 16 years in prison.
Judge Eric R. Komitee, who handed down the sentence in Brooklyn Federal Court, also sentenced Vega to five years of supervised release after his release from prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Vega, 52, who authorities say led a double life for years – as a deacon and as a person who engaged in illicit sexual activity – was charged with both state and federal crimes.
“This was a crime that occurred on a large number of occasions over a long period of time,” the judge said, adding that Vega robbed the victims of their childhood.
Combating sexual offenses against minors is “an essential task of the criminal justice system,” the judge added.
Vega was originally arrested on state charges on January 22, 2021, when he was caught as part of a sting operation. Authorities said he started using a dating app in July 2020 and began communicating with a person who believed he was under the age of 14.
In reality, the person was an undercover NYPD detective. Prosecutors said Vega exchanged pornographic photos with the “minor” and made plans to meet with him.
But when Vega showed up at the agreed location, the undercover detective was there to stop him. Vega pleaded guilty in that case in October 2021.
The same day he pleaded guilty, he was arrested on federal charges after an inspection of his cell phone found evidence that he had solicited minors for sex, according to authorities.
The Diocese of Brooklyn issued a statement following Wednesday’s ruling.
“We hope that the healing process of the victim-survivors of this case can begin. We pray for them and for all surviving victims of sexual abuse,” the statement said. “These heinous acts not only betrayed their victims, but damaged the sacred trust of the faithful.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn immediately suspended Vega from his position as deacon following his arrest on January 22, 2021. Following his guilty plea to the federal charges in September 2022, the diocese began the process that permanently removed him from ministry.
Following Vega’s dismissal from the church of San Sebastián in 2021, the diocese sent a letter to parishioners to inform them of the arrest and the measures taken against him and sent his vice chancellor and the head of the Office of Assistance to Victims to San Sebastián to meet with the parishioners.
The measures are part of the diocese’s commitment and protocols, including a zero-tolerance policy put in place nearly two decades ago to combat sexual abuse.
In 2004, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, now retired, established a hotline (888-634-4499) so that anyone could report cases of sexual abuse in the diocese. The confidential line connects directly with the police authorities. Victims are encouraged to report the crime, regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred.
The Victim Assistance Office also provides victim support services, including counseling and therapy referrals. In addition, the diocese has an Office of Safe Environment, which trains clergy, employees, and students on how to identify the signs of sexual abuse and how to report it.
According to federal court documents, Vega used apps to find, coerce and lure his victims, ages 14 to 16, and arranged to meet them in person.
In fact, Komitee said, the defendant used multiple cell phones, which “says something about the lengths to which Mr. Vega would go” to commit his crimes.
Evidence showed that his criminal activity took place between approximately 2015 and January 2021, prosecutors said. Vega pleaded guilty in federal court on September 16, 2022.
Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorney Patrick J. Campbell of the Justice Department, sought a 30-year prison term, while Vega’s defense attorney, James Darrow, sought 10 years.
Vega wept as she read a statement in court. “It has not been easy. I lost the trust of my family,” she said. “I wish things could be different. I wish we could go back in time.”
As for the victims, he said: “I hope they find peace in their life.”
When Vega felt too overwhelmed to continue, Darrow read the rest of his statement.
Vega was ordained a deacon on May 28, 2011. He had been serving at San Sebastian Church from December 2015 until his arrest in 2021. Prior to that, he was assigned to Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish in Williamsburg.
On Wednesday it was revealed in court that Vega himself had been the victim of child sexual abuse. But the judge said that meant he should be more aware.
“You knew from your experience the damage you were causing,” he told Vega.
