LAGUNA HILLS (CA)
Patch
The pastor of a Laguna Hills church molested five boys in his congregation who ranged in age from 9 to 15 years old as they slept over or visited his Lake Forest apartment, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.
Oscar D. Perez Perez’s attorney, however, said the accusations were the result of “misunderstandings,” and that his 69-year-old client was actually giving the boys sex education and tips on hygiene.
Perez is charged with 22 felony counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14, four felony counts of lewd acts on a child and faces sentencing enhancement allegations for lewd acts on multiple victims.
Perez claims to be a bishop and pastor of Iglesia Antigua, or Old Church, which at the time of his arrest rented space at St. George’s Episcopalian Church in Laguna Hills. Perez’s church is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church or the Diocese of Orange.
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