Filipino priest in Philadelphia charged with rape of a teenager

PHILADELPHIA — A Filipino Catholic priest has been charged with raping a teenage girl at his former Roxborough neighborhood parish and recording the sexual encounter five years ago.

The Rev. Armand Garcia, 49, surrendered to Philadelphia police Monday, March 4, a year after his alleged misconduct emerged with a police search of his rectory.

Suspended priest Armand  Garcia is accused of rape. ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Investigators believe Garcia had sexual contact with an altar girl at Immaculate Heart Parish in Roxborough starting when she was about 16, the news site Philly.com reported.

Garcia allegedly offered her alcohol or marijuana during encounters over a period of years in the parish rectory, his living quarters, and other locations said those sources.

The specific count of rape against Garcia results from an alleged incident in August 2014, according to court filings. His accuser came forward after he was transferred to St. Martin of Tours in Summerdale in 2017.

Garcia’s lawyer, William J. Brennan, said his client has an unblemished record in more than a decade serving at various schools and parishes across the Philadelphia region, and should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Garcia passed a background check and attended child protection training programs that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires for all priests, said archdiocesan spokesperson. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput suspended Garcia and notified parishioners at St. Martin of Tours and Immaculate Heart as soon as he learned of the allegations a year ago, Philly.com reported further.

Garcia was released on $250,000 bond Monday evening. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14.