A New Jersey prosecutor said it's 'deeply concerning' that Hadmels DeFrias still has contact with kids.
Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — A former Roman Catholic priest who was defrocked and convicted of molesting two boys in New Jersey has found a new vocation in a new location — teaching children English at a private school in this resort town.
As a priest, DeFrias, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, was assigned to the St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, when he was accused of fondling two brothers, both under 14, in 2001 and 2002 while the brothers were working in theCharged with criminal sexual contact, DeFrias pleaded guilty in August 2004 and was sentenced to three years of probation, court records show.
In the interview, DeFrias expressed regret for assaulting the brothers but insisted that his urges are under control and that he has been in therapy for a decade. He said he told school officials about his criminal past before they hired him, even though he claims he didn’t need to “inform them.” “That is definitely the same person,” said John Esmerado, an assistant prosecutor in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, who led the case against DeFrias in 2003. Esmerado was shown a photo of DeFrias dressed in a habit that appears on the website of his new church, theMaria Margiotta, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Newark, said the diocese lost track of DeFrias years ago.
“Because that’s not what happens in the church,” he said. “I mean, you are put in a role that you are in charge of so many things and you have to abstain from sexual stuff, but they don’t teach you how to manage it. Now they are beginning to work with it.” “An ordained minister holding theological degrees from Seton Hall University that includes Scripture and Pastoral Counseling,” the profile says. “Have work in mental health and as online marketing executive. Now I am affiliated with a non-denominational church in a wedding ministry.”
The OES, according to its website, is “an interfaith monastic community of men and women whose primary purpose is to alleviate the suffering caused by religious intolerance and to promote peace and understanding in the local and global community through interfaith dialogue and charitable acts.” It has chapters in North Carolina and Canada as well., DeFrias goes by Father Rafael and is listed as the"Prior for the Dominican Republic.
“They are not part of the Anglican Church in North America, nor are they affiliated with the Global Anglican Future Conference,” said the Rev. Canon Andrew Gross, a spokesman for the Anglican Church in North America., DeFrias’ church says it is associated with another Celtic Anglican church in Syracuse, New York. But NBC News could not locate any such church in Syracuse.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lucky No. 18: Formerly homeless New Jersey teen gets into target schoolIt was lucky number 18 for a formerly homeless Jersey City teen, when his target school, The College of New Jersey, joined 17 others in accepting him.
Read more »
New Jersey police officer rescues teddy bear after 12-year-old with autism calls 911TEDDY BEAR RESCUE: A New Jersey police officer was just the person to conduct a search and rescue when he received a 911 call from a boy with autism who reported that his beloved teddy bear was missing.
Read more »
New Jersey lawmakers want schools to stop teaching ‘Huckleberry Finn’Two African-American members of the state Assembly have introduced a non-binding resolution calling on school districts in New Jersey to remove “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' from their curricula
Read more »
Ellen wants to officiate Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson’s White House wedding — if it happensThe talk show host has big plans for the New Jersey Democrat.
Read more »
Better late than never! A New Jersey man returns a library book half a century laterA New Jersey middle school probably thought that its long-lost gem was gone forever. Yet after 53 years, Harry Krame walked back into Memorial Middle School's library and returned a book he checked out when he was a student.
Read more »
Forbes Media - Jobs: Social Media Analyst - Apply online\u003cp\u003eForbes is looking for a \u003cstrong\u003eSocial Media Analyst\u003c/strong\u003e to join the Audience Development team in our Jersey City, NJ, office. The position, reporting into the Director of Social Media, will work across the company with various stakeholders to deliver reports from editorial and sales initiatives. In addition to joining a high performing team, you would be joining a passionate and engaged culture that celebrates:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eEntrepreneurship: Freedom to innovate, identify new opportunities and take on responsibilities\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eCareer Development: Formal mentorship program, industry conference attendance and speaking opportunities \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ePositivity: Emphasis on positive communication, transparency and team building\u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eResponsibilities:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eBe the point of contact for all social reporting related to editorial initiatives, sales campaigns and events. \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eManage vendor relationships and communicate platform updates and algorithm changes to the team. \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eDeliver weekly and monthly reports to the team and other stakeholders within the organization. \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eLead weekly stand ups which will include learnings, recommendations, and strategic approaches.\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWork with trending news platforms to inform daily publishing strategy \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFollow competitors to provide competitive analysis on a daily and weekly basis. \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eQualification:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e3+ years of experience with social media analytics \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFluent in Sprinklr and Google Analytics\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFamiliarity with all social media platforms \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eStrong communication, organizational an
Read more »
Man pleads not guilty to murdering brother, family in N.J. mansionMan accused of killing his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew before setting fire to their massive New Jersey home pleads not guilty to 16 counts.
Read more »