Pinoy Priest Arrested for Raping Altar Girl & Filming Sex Act in the U.S.A. 😡

A Filipino Catholic priest has been charged with raping a teenage girl and recording their sexual encounter that happened between 2014 and 2017, according to court records and a church statement.

The Rev. Armand Garcia, 49, of Aston, was arrested Monday for an alleged assault that happened in August 2014 while Garcia served at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Andorra section of Philadelphia.

Garcia’s arrest comes as the Vatican continues to grapple with a worldwide sexual abuse scandal and after Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s release last year of a scathing grand jury report that named hundreds of predator priests in Pennsylvania’s other dioceses.



Garcia's lawyer William Brennan confirmed the priest was charged of rape, photograph/film/depict on computer sex act, and corruption of minors, according to online court documents.

Photo: Rev. Armand Garcia, 49

He posted 10 percent of $250,000 bail and was released. Garcia's attorney, Bill Brennan, previously defended two priests in unrelated criminal cases.

“Neither of those two prior priest defendants were convicted of either jury," Brennan said. "I say that not to toot my horn. I say that to remind people that innocent until proven guilty isn’t just an abstract concept.”



According to court filings, the count of rape stems from an alleged incident in August 2014.

Photo: Rev. Armand Garcia, 49

Garcia's accuser, believed to be an altar girl, came forward after he was transferred to a new parish in 2017.

Reports say Garcia served as a regional representative for the National Association of Filipino Priests.



A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14.

Garcia was ordained in 2005. The archdiocese said he has served at the following parishes, schools and offices: Saint Joseph, Downingtown (2005-2008); Saint Eleanor, Collegeville (2008-2009); Saint Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia (2009-2010); personal leave (2010-2011); Our Lady of the Assumption, Strafford (2011); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Philadelphia (2011-2017); Saint Martin of Tours, Philadelphia (2017-2018).

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Source: The Inquirer Philadelphia