Ordained: 2000
Removed: 2010
Assigned as follows:
- Church of the Holy Family (Albany, NY)
- Greene Correctional Facility (Coxsackie, NY)
- Church of the Americas (Albany, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Deacon Angel Garcia:
According to media reports, in August 2010, Deacon Angel Garcia was removed from assignment at Church of the Holy Family in Albany, New York. He was also removed from his position as chaplain at the state's Greene Correctional Facility. The Diocese of Albany deemed credible a single allegation that Garcia had abused a minor in the early 1990s, before his training and ordination as a deacon. He denied the allegations.
In August 2014, he was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse of a 6-year-old girl in 2003. The victim testified that in 2003 her mother asked her to deliver vegetables to Garcia, who was a friend of the family. She said before she left his apartment, he approached her from behind and touched her genitals. She said Garcia took her into his bedroom, where he continued the abuse. The girl testified that Garcia told her to keep the abuse secret. Ten years later, she said, she confided in her aunt, who told her parents.
In September 2014, he was sentenced to five years in prison, and ten years of post-release supervision. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
According to media reports, a bizzare filing error by the Albany County court system allowed Garcia to avoid his prison sentence and stay off New York's sex offender registry. Since then, Garcia is believed to be living in an apartment in Pine Hills despite being found guilty in 2014.
In December 2021, Garcia was again arrested on charges that he sexually abused two more children. According to the grand jury indictment, Garcia abused two children who were known to him between June 2016 and December 2018. The alleged abuse took place at a private home in Albany, New York. Garcia pleaded not guilty and remains in custody.
In 2018, Garcia was included on the revised list of priests in the Diocese of Albany who were found to be "credibly accused" of child sex abuse after an internal Diocese investigation.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Albany. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Albany, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Albany 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.