Monsignor Otto L. Garcia
Ordained: 1973
Assigned as follows:
- 1974-1975: St. Michael Church (Flushing, NY)
- 1976-1978: On Duty Outside the Diocese, Graduate Studies (North American College (Casa Santa Maria, Rome)
- 1979-1981: St. John the Evangelist (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1982-1983: Vice-Chancellor
- 1982-1999: Special Assignment (Brooklyn, NY)
- 1985-1999: Chancellor
- 1993-2006: The Cathedral-Basilica of St. James (Brooklyn, NY)
- 2002-2003: Vicar General
- 2004-2006: Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia; Presbyteral Council; Diocesan Consultors
- 2007-2018: St. Joan of Arc (Jackson Heights, NY)
- 2010-2014: Diocesan Judges (Brooklyn, NY)
- 2012-2018: Attorneys and Counselors at Canon Law (Jackson Heights, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Monsignor Otto L Garcia:
Msgr. Otto L Garcia is one of the most powerful leaders in the Diocese of Brooklyn. He served as a Tribunal judge, canon lawyer, moderator of the Curia, and Chancellor and Vicar General of the Diocese of Brooklyn. According to media reports, he oversaw and allegedly concealed acts of child sexual abuse prior to allegations surfacing that he abused at least two minor boys in the 1970s.
In 2017, a man reported to the Diocese of Brooklyn that Garcia had sexually abused him when he was a child from 1973 to 1975 at St. Michael's in Flushing, New York. His family was active in church life, with his mother working as a fifth-grade teacher in the parish school and his father the parish basketball coach.
"He was able to pick me as a prime victim because of my parent's involvement in the church. I just didn't think anyone would believe me. I said nothing until my parents passed."
After a two-day investigation, the survivor was told that there was "insufficient support" for his claim. In August 2019, under the New York Child Victims Act, he filed a lawsuit against the Diocese and Garcia.
"He'd make me stand up, he'd put his hands under my shirt and try to get under my pants. Then he would start grinding me from behind and rub my nipples. I was terrified," he said.
A second suit was filed on the same day by another survivor who alleged Garcia sexually abused him as a child in 1973 and 1974 at St. Michael's in Flushing, New York. Garcia was quietly removed from St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights, New York sometime in 2019.
In February 2019, Garcia's name appeared on the Diocese of Brooklyn's list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. According to the list, the Diocese's Internal Review Board deemed the allegation to be unsubstantiated. He remains an active priest and is listed as the Parochial Vicar in the September 2019 bulletin of the Church of St. Teresa in Woodside.
Garcia's current whereabouts and whether he has access to children are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Brooklyn, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.