Conviction Christian institutions & contexts Evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent Paraíso, Cartago, Costa Rica · 2020

Costa Rica: pastor sentenced to eight years for grooming a 14-year-old congregant through church-linked messaging

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

pastor of the victim's church, Paraíso

Organization

No organization assigned

Spiritual nexus

The victim was a member of the congregation Bogantes pastored; his position as her pastor — not a prior personal or family relationship — was the channel through which contact and trust were built.

Pastoral or clerical authority

Evidence structure

Proceedings

2020-10-15 · conviction and sentence

Tribunal Penal de Cartago, Costa Rica. Cristian Bogantes Pérez was found responsible for two counts of sexual abuse against a 14-year-old member of the congregation he pastored, and sentenced to eight years in prison. The court found he used his position as the victim's pastor to contact her through messages and arrange the meetings in Paraíso where the abuse occurred.

Documented coercion mechanisms

pastoral position used to initiate contact through messages
trust built through his church role, used to arrange meetings

Primary record

Sources

official prosecutor release sentencing report Ministerio Público de Costa Rica (2020) 'Paraíso: pastor sentenciado a ocho años de cárcel por abusos sexuales'.: Official prosecutorial release describing the pastor's use of his church position and messaging to contact and abuse the 14-year-old congregant.
national press sentencing report CRHoy (2020) 'Condenan a pastor de iglesia por abuso sexual contra menor'.: Reports the eight-year sentence and confirms the pastor exploited his position and trust gained with the minor congregant.

Related record

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