OC Pastor Who Molested 3 Girls He Met In Church Convicted

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — An Orange County pastor was convicted Monday of sexually assaulting three girls he met through churches in Riverside, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, was convicted of seven counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and three counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 or younger, all felonies.

Jurors also found true a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims.

The Santa Ana pastor worked at International Mission Church USA at 505 S. Main St., police said.

From 2014 through 2017, he was a member of Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church at 2020 W. Chestnut Ave. in Santa Ana, according to police.

At the church he lured an 8-year-old girl into a van during a service and sexually assaulted her, police said. The assault would continue over a period of three years.

Valdez also molested the girl in his home in Riverside where he showed her an adult film, police said. He would lure her into the van saying he needed to comb her hair or required help with something and then touch the victim, police said.

Another girl said the defendant began molesting her at age 9 when he was a deacon at a church, police said.

A third victim said the defendant began molesting her when she was about 6 years old at a Santa Ana church, police said at the preliminary hearing. The sexual abuse continued as they resided together in Riverside, police said.

One of the victims told Riverside police in January 2020 she was molested by Valdez in 2017 when she was 8, police said. Also in January 2020, one of the victims went to Garden Grove police saying Valdez molested her in 2015, according to police.

City News Service contributed to this report.