Man who allegedly molested boy in Tucson church pews faces new criminal charges

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence against children that some readers may find disturbing.

A man who allegedly molested three boys from his Tucson church has been indicted a second time for felony child sex crimes — this time, relating to the alleged abuse of a boy during church services in the early 2000s. 

Jose Mora, 58, has been in jail since April for an ongoing criminal case alleging that he abused two boys who were fellow members of his Tucson church, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle. The charges in that case were based in part on information uncovered in an Arizona Daily Star/Lee Enterprises investigation in which Mora publicly admitted to touching an 11-year-old boy's genital area. 

In September, a third victim, Marcello, came forward to the Star and alleged that Mora groped him repeatedly in church and sexually assaulted him at another congregant's house. The new criminal case stems from those allegations. 

Mora was charged in February with two new felony counts, continuous sexual abuse of a child and sexual conduct with a minor under age 15. He had his initial appearance on Feb. 24. 

Part of the alleged sexual abuse occurred over a period of more than three months from 1999 to 2002, according to the indictment. The indictment also alleges that Mora forced his penis into the victim's anus during an incident in 2002. 

The indictment tracks with what Marcello told the Star in September. Marcello, who asked to go by his first name only, said Mora molested him hundreds of times in the church pews as their pastor preached. He said Mora hid the abuse with his blazer. The incidents started in 1999 when Marcello was 11, and Mora was 35, Marcello said. 

Tucson ‘cult' church member molested boy hundreds of times in pews, new victim alleges

A boy said he was molested repeatedly in the pews of his Tucson church, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle. The church's "cultish rules" kept him silent — until now.

Then, in 2002, Mora allegedly raped Marcello at another congregant's home when they were left alone, Marcello said. 

“Why? Why me?” Marcello remembers thinking. “I was scared. I had no idea what was going on. This person, whom I barely knew, felt that he could violate me in such a horrible way. I didn’t know what to think. I was happy it was over. I was happy I was alive."

Mora's public defender did not respond to a request for comment on the new criminal case and Marcello's allegations. Mora blocked a reporter on an inmate messaging app and can no longer be contacted directly while in jail.

The Star and Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team first exposed Mora's behavior in a November 2024 report. Former Golden Dawn congregant Philip said Mora penetrated him with fingers and forced oral-to-genital contact with him when Philip was 11 years old.

Mora admitted in an interview with the Star and Lee Enterprises that he touched Philip's buttocks and genital area, but he denied any penetration or oral contact.  

In June, a second victim, Jonathan Santos, came forward, alleging that Mora sexually abused him when he was between 7 and 9 years old around 2009. Santos said Mora groped his buttocks and genitals, and then used his fingers to penetrate Santos. 

Mora was charged in April with five counts of child molestation and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor in connection with his alleged abuse of Philip and Santos. He already faced life in prison for just those charges. Now he faces a total of 10 felony counts. 

Mora's original case faced delays as prosecutors pursued the additional charges, according to court records. Both cases are now moving forward, with the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday and additional hearings on March 27 and April 27. 

Mora remains incarcerated at the Pima County Jail on a $300,000 bond. 

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Pastor's competency

In a related criminal case, Golden Dawn's pastor, Isaac Noriega, was arrested and charged in June on two counts of failure to report abuse or neglect of a minor.

Under Arizona law, priests and clergy members are mandatory reporters who must make a report to law enforcement or the Department of Child Safety when they have a “reasonable belief” that a child is the victim of abuse.

One charge stems from Noriega's alleged failure to report Philip's allegations. The other is related to allegations that Noriega ignored a teenage girl's disclosure that she was raped at age 7 by a teenage member of the Golden Dawn community. 

Noriega's attorney has argued that Noriega, 83, is incompetent to stand trial due to dementia. Court records state that the pastor has "late phase mild stage dementia, currently progressing into moderate stage dementia."

The court is in the process of evaluating Noriega's mental competency. 

One doctor found Noriega incompetent, but said his competency could be restored before trial, according to court proceedings. A second doctor found Noriega to be incompetent and unrestorable. 

A judge ruled Jan. 26 that Noriega must undergo a neuropsychological evaluation. His next court hearing is April 27. 

Former members of the congregation decried the incompetency claim as a way to avoid accountability.

John Calvo, a former member who has been publishing research on the church for more than two years, said Noriega continues to preside over the church, preaching for hours, multiple times a week. 

Twenty former congregants have accused Golden Dawn Tabernacle, which also goes by its formal name Tabernaculo Emanuel, of being a "cult." They allege that the church controls congregants' finances, tears families apart by excommunicating former members and puts children in harm's way by ignoring alleged abuse — all of which Noriega denies. 

Marcello said it was this "cultish" environment that caused him to stay silent about his abuse for years. He said he feared being publicly humiliated by Noriega from the pulpit. 

“I 100 percent hold Jose Mora accountable for what happened to me,” Marcello said. “But I also hold Isaac Noriega and Golden Dawn officials accountable for what happened to me.

“For, were it not for Isaac Noriega and his perverted and downright cultish rules, I never would have sat in the front pews of a church where my childhood died.”

Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller contributed to this report.