Father Gary Pacheco
Ordained: 1974
Removed: 1988
Laicized: 1994
Assignment History:
- 1975: Unknown
- 1976-1977: Saints Simon and Jude (Huntington Beach, CA)
- 1978: Unknown
- 1979-1985: Saints Simon and Jude (Huntington Beach, CA)
- 1986: St. Polycarp (Stanton, CA)
- 1987-1988: St. John the Baptist (Costa Mesa, CA)
- 1988: Removed from Diocese of Orange
- 1989-2018: Unknown
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Gary Pacheco:
Fr. Gary Pacheco was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1974, who served in the Diocese of Orange. According to media reports, he has been accused of molesting numerous children in the 1970s and 1980's. In 1988, a complaint in 1988 was reported to the Diocese of Orange. The diocese requested that Fr. Pacheco attend the Servants of the Paraclete facility in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. He had been sent to other facilities in the past for what was labeled as "an alcohol problem".
Fr. Pacheco has been named in at least two civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse, both of which settled in the 1990s. According to court records, Fr. Pacheco groomed children by taking them to Disneyland or attending their birthday parties.
Fr. Pacheco was reportedly removed from the Diocese of Orange in 1988, but still permitted to practice. He was finally laicized in 1994. Fr. Pacheco was included on the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans 2019 list and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' list of priests accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.
As of 2010, Fr. Pacheco was believed to be living in Fountain Valley, California. Fr. Pacheco'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 Orange in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California's Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Orange now have legal options due to a temporary change in California law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.