In federal court in Brooklyn, Rogelio Vega was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric R. Komitee to 16 years in prison for enticing three minors to engage in sexual conduct. As part of his sentence, Vega will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Vega pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2022.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
Between approximately 2015 and January 2021, the defendant, while also serving as an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church, used the Kik Internet messaging application, which is marketed to teens, and the Grindr Internet application, which is marketed to the LGBTQ+ community, to express his interest in “young guys” and coerce and entice three male victims between the ages of 14 and 16 to meet him for sexual acts. Messages found on the defendant’s cell phones revealed a series of communications in which the victims identified themselves as underage and the defendant arranged to meet them multiple times for sexual encounters in his car or at motels.
Anyone with information about crimes perpetrated by Vega is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI and reference this case.
Department of Justice Trial Attorney Patrick J. Campbell is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ROGELIO VEGAAge: 52Maspeth, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-563 (EK)
Original source can be found here.