Evangelical Pastor Arrested in Trujui, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, Charged with Sexually Abusing Young Congregants

Authorities in Moreno, Argentina, have arrested the evangelical pastor in charge of the “Gracia, poder y gloria” community. According to Primer Plano Online, sources in the investigation confirmed that the accused is Daniel Gerardo Ponce, who faces charges of sexual abuse with carnal access. The charges are aggravated by the use of grossly degrading subjugation, by the fact that the crimes were committed by a minister of a recognized religion, and by his role as the person in charge of the victims’ care. He is charged with sexually abusing at least four young people from his congregation, one of whom was a minor at the time of the events. Investigators suspect there may be other victims, and the judiciary expects more accounts to be added to the case file in the coming days.

The case was brought by prosecutor Leandro Ventricelli of UFI No. 1 of the Moreno-General Rodríguez Judicial Department. He worked with assistant prosecutor Solange Castelli and with Graciela Celayes, a member of the victim coordination team for crimes against sexual integrity. The arrest warrant had been issued in 2023. Following the arrest, the pastor refused to testify before the judiciary with private counsel. He stated that he is “innocent” and cited health problems that he said would have made the alleged acts impossible.

According to information the outlet obtained, the arrest was a complex operation. Spokespersons said the pastor was surrounded by about 10 people who acted as bodyguards, changed cars, generally used vehicles with tinted windows, and moved house every three months. He was intercepted in a rural estate area in Trujui, at a temple in front of the home of one of his children, by officers from the Santa Brígida station in General Rodríguez. The officers had to leave the location quickly because of the harassment they faced during the operation.

The accounts were described as forceful, and the victims have only recently been able to speak. According to the reports, the sexual abuse occurred between 2013 and 2017. One of the young men said he had been “afraid and anguished” about speaking before now. He was able to describe what he suffered only years after the events. The forensic experts involved reported that his emotional, behavioral and narrative presentation showed “a set of indicators” compatible with a traumatic experience of sexual victimization. The forensic studies also recorded “no signs of fabulatory activity or induction by third parties.”

The investigation relied on several elements, and the account of the first victim, which set the case in motion, was the main one. The reports say that after the arrest warrant was issued, the pastor continued to carry out his pastoral ministry. Investigators describe the accusations as revealing a pattern of systematic abuse that took advantage of his position as a spiritual leader. The victims also have records of threats from him intended to keep them from speaking.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)