Father Augusto Cortez
Diocese of Brooklyn
Ordained: 2003
Laicized: 2008
Removed: 2016
Assigned as follows:
- 2004: Office of Hispanic Ministry (New York, NY)
- 2006: St. John the Baptist (Bushwick, NY)
- 2007: Centro Evangelizacion San Vicente de Paul (New York, NY)
- 2009: St. Vincent’s Seminary (Philadelphia, PA)
- 2006-2007: St. John the Baptist Rectory (Yonkers, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Augusto Cortez:
Fr. Augusto Cortez was ordained a priest of the Vincentian order. According to media reports, in June 2008, he was arrested and charged with touching the breast of a 12-year-old girl in May 2008, while he worked at St. John the Baptist School in Bushwick, New York. He was sentenced to six years of probation, to return to his Order, to not present as a priest, and to register as a Level 1 sex offender.
In June 2014, Cortez was accused of sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl at her home on Long Island. She contracted an STD from him. He fled the country in 2015. In November 2015, the girl’s family sued the Vincentians and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He was found by Interpol in Guatemala and extradited to the US.
In 2016, Cortez was laicized. He was arrested in NY in April 2017. He pleaded not guilty but was convicted and sentenced to prison.
In December 2019, his name appeared publicly on the Diocese of Charlotte’s list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors.
According to state prison records, he remains incarcerated in New York and his earliest release date is 2023.
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 [email protected] to discuss your options today.