Brentwood Pastor Hit With 210-Month Federal Term In Child Sex Exploitation Case

A former Brentwood pastor who admitted to sexually exploiting minors online has been hit with a 210-month federal prison sentence, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jose Saez Jr., 30, formerly the pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Alumbrando El Camino, received the sentence in federal court in Central Islip after pleading guilty last year. Authorities say Saez groomed children online, solicited explicit images and, in May 2023, met a minor in Mount Sinai where he sexually assaulted the child.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack imposed the 210-month term on June 9, 2026. Prosecutors say agents recovered numerous images and videos during a search of Saez’s home. The office said the case was handled by the Long Island Division’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section and that Saez pleaded guilty in March 2025.

How Prosecutors Say He Preyed On Kids

As reported by Daily Voice, investigators say Saez used an encrypted messaging app to groom minors and solicit sexually explicit material. In August 2023, he communicated with an undercover officer, according to court filings and plea statements cited in local coverage.

In those materials, Saez allegedly claimed he had abused an infant and described his “sweet spot” as children roughly 11 to 15 years old, the reporting states. Federal agents recovered multiple videos and photos during the investigation.

Prosecutors, FBI And Sentencing Remarks

United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the punishment reflects the gravity of Saez’s conduct. “Today’s lengthy sentence holds the defendant accountable for his exploitation of children and his abuse of a position of trust,” his office stated.

FBI officials said Saez abused his role as a pastor to target congregants and other vulnerable young people, and they publicly thanked the Suffolk County Police Department for assisting in the probe.

The Legal Stakes

Producing, soliciting or coercing minors to create sexual images is a federal crime that carries mandatory minimum sentences and multi-decade maximums, depending on the facts of the case. See 18 U.S.C. §2251 in the U.S. Code for the statutory framework. Sentences in these cases commonly include lengthy terms of supervised release along with sex-offender registration requirements.

Anyone with information about Saez’s conduct is asked to contact the FBI through its tips page at FBI or to reach out to local victim services for support and reporting. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has encouraged anyone with relevant information to come forward as investigations into similar exploitation continue.