LOS ANGELES (CA)
KCAL - CBS 9 [Los Angeles CA]
April 8, 2025
By Matthew Rodriguez
A Catholic priest from Downey remains in custody after Los Angeles County prosecutors charged him with several counts of child sexual abuse on Monday.
Jaime Arriaga, 41, was remanded without bail after pleading not guilty to six felony counts related to the case. Most of the charges from the alleged sexual abuse happened in early February, according to court records. However, prosecutors also charged him with an assault that allegedly happened more than a month later on March 22.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said Arriaga started presiding at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in January 2024 as a transitional deacon before being ordained as a priest six months later. The archdiocese added that it learned about the allegations on April 2. It immediately dismissed Arriaga from the ministry and reported the case to investigators.
Arriaga surrendered himself to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department the following day, according to the archdiocese.
“The Archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to the protection of minors and the reporting and prevention of abuse. Allegations of misconduct against anyone serving in the Archdiocese are reported to law enforcement, fully investigated and, under the Zero-Tolerance Policy, anyone who is found to have harmed a minor is permanently removed from any capacity in the Archdiocese,” officials said in a statement.
Last October, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $880 million to settle sex abuse claims made by more than 1,300 alleged victims dating back to the 1940s.
The settlement brings the overall amount the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out to settle sex abuse lawsuits to nearly $1.5 billion, following a $660 million settlement with about 500 alleged victims in 2007.
“We encourage anyone who may have experienced any misconduct involving Fr. Arriaga to please contact law enforcement and the Office of Victims Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650 or toll-free number (800)-355-2545. We offer our prayers for everyone impacted by this matter,” the archdiocese said in a statement.