A Jersey City sentenced was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier today for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl after being convicted of the crime back in September.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre sentenced Orlando Martinez-Chavez, 48, a Jersey City pastor, to eight years in state prison as a result of his conviction by a jury for the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl, authorities said.
Martinez-Chavez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, pursuant to the No Early Release Act.
He was also sentenced to five years to be served concurrently for his conviction on the charge of endangering the welfare of a child for the same victim.
On Thursday, September 19, 2019, Martinez-Chavez, a pastor at the Iglesia Pentecostal Lirio de los Valles church in Jersey City, was convicted by a Hudson County jury of one count of sexual assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Martinez-Chavez was convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-girl who was a member of the church where he was a pastor in 2013.
On October 15, 2019, Martinez-Chavez also pleaded guilty on charges related to two additional victims. He was sentenced to 18 months for the charge of criminal sexual and five years for endangering the welfare of a child.
The sentencing for the pleas will run concurrent to his eight year sentence.
Additionally, Martinez-Chavez is required to register under Megan’s Law and is subject to Parole Supervision for Life.
The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Angela Gingerelli of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.
