Former Danbury Priest Charged With Sex Assault Of A Minor

DANBURY, CT — The former priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church who was accused of sexual abuse of a minor has a plea hearing scheduled later this month after being arrested on sexual assault charges.

The Rev. Jaime Marin-Cardona, 51, turned himself into the Danbury Police Department on a warrant, and remains in custody on a $500,000 bond. He has been charged with three counts of illegal sexual contact, three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to child.

Marin-Cardona was removed from ministry in September when the Diocese of Bridgeport received a letter indicating that parents were concerned by the priest's "contact with a family member who is a minor," according to a statement by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. Court documents indicate that the priest is being charged for incidents that occurred in 2014 and 2016.

Most recently, Marin-Cardona served at Saint Mary Parish in Bridgeport. Prior to that, he worked at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Danbury, Saint Joseph Parish in Norwalk, and Saint Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport.