Fr. Augusto Cortez

Arrested in 6/2008, charged with touching the breast of a 12-year-old girl on 5/29/2008. Worked at St. John the Baptist School in Bushwick. Cortez had been working at Centro de Evangelizacion San Vicente de Paul. He was to return to his Order 12/31/2008, was to not present as priest, and was ordered to register as a Level 1 sex offender. He also worked at St. Rosalie’s in Hampton Bays NY. In 7/2009 Cortez was sentenced to 6 years’ probation. In 6/2014 he was accused of sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl in Hampton Bays. The girl contracted an STD. Cortez was questioned by police, but let go. He fled the country. The girl’s family sued the Order and the Rockville Centre diocese in 11/2015. He was dismissed from the Vincentians in 2016 and laicized. Cortez was found by Interpol in Guatemala, extradited to the U.S., and arrested in NY 4/22/2017. Per officials, he had fled to South America and lived in several countries. He pleaded not guilty in 4/2017, then convicted. He was incarcerated in NY until released on parole in 6/2023. Included on the Diocese of Charlotte’s list, where he had an unauthorized four-week stay at a parish in 2008.