Father Enrique Diaz Jimenez
Diocese of Brooklyn
Ordained: 1977
Removed: 1996
Assigned as follows:
- St. Leo’s (Brooklyn, NY)
- Our Lady of Sorrows (Brooklyn, NY)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Enrique Diaz Jimenez:
Fr. Enrique Diaz Jimenez, originally from Colombia, was ordained a priest in Venezuela. According to media reports, in 1990, he was arrested for repeatedly sexually abusing three minor altar boys, two brothers, and a cousin. The boys were ages 9, 11, and 14. The abuse allegedly occurred from 1984 to 1989 when he worked at St. Leo’s in Brooklyn. In 1989, a $60 million lawsuit was filed by the same three boys. Their lawyer said he had befriended the boys and persuaded them to engage in sex acts “by telling them that God had wanted them to.”
In April 1991, Jimenez pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to four months in prison and five years probation. He was deported to Venezuela later that year, and worked at Punta de Mulatos in LaGuaira and San Jose de Obrero in Mamo.
Jimenez reportedly returned to Colombia in 1996 where he worked in the Archdiocese of Bogota. During his time in Venezuela, he was accused of sexually abusing 18 more minor boys preparing for their first Holy Communion. That same year, Bishop de Guruceaga of the Diocese of Vargas, Venezuela suspended him from the priesthood for 20 years. In Colombia, he was charged with and pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 2 minor boys. In 2002, he was sentenced to house arrest in Bogota for more than 53 months.
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.