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Editor鈥檚 note: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence against children.

A congregant from the Golden Dawn Tabernacle in Tucson was charged Thursday with five counts of child molestation following .

Jose Mora, 57, was also charged with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, a felony in which the perpetrator intentionally or knowingly engages in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with someone under 18.

Mora could face life in prison for those charges, depending on the age of the victim. For the alleged child molestation, which involves engaging in sexual contact with a child under 15, Mora could be sentenced to up to 24 years in prison.

The charges stem in large part from in which it was reported that Mora molested an 11-year-old boy from his church in 2012. The pastor, Isaac Noriega, is also for failing to report those allegations, as required by law, but he has not been charged.

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover confirmed that Mora has been booked into the Pima County Jail on an eight-count indictment.

鈥淧CAO thanks the Tucson Police Department for their thoughtful and methodical investigation and the witnesses and victims who trusted all of us in coming forward,鈥� Conover said in a statement. 鈥淎s this is a pending criminal matter, we will not be commenting further.鈥�

Mora admitted in a September interview with the newspaper team that he touched the buttocks and genital area of a boy from his church. Mora said there were 鈥渕aybe four鈥� 鈥渢ouching incidents鈥� with the boy at his home, including an incident where he entered a shower naked with the boy and hugged and kissed him.

Mora was about 45 when the incidents happened, and said he knew that the boy, Philip, was either 11 or 12 at the time. Philip said in an interview that Mora also penetrated him with his fingers and forced him to have oral sex, which Mora denies.

Police also uncovered additional allegations against Mora stemming from an incident in 2009, according to his initial court appearance. The details of that incident were not immediately available. It鈥檚 unclear which charges relate to the 2009 incident and which relate to the 2012 incident.

Mora was detained April 10 by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). He has an immigration hold, meaning he could be subject to deportation due to his immigration status.

Mora was initially in federal custody at the Eloy Detention Center, but he is now in custody at the Pima County Jail. He is being held in jail on a $250,000 cash bail. His next court hearing is April 24.

At Mora鈥檚 initial appearance Thursday, his public defender asked for a $50,000 bail since Mora does not have a criminal record. But the prosecutor鈥檚 office asked for a $500,000 bail because the allegations against Mora involve crimes against a child and because there are children living in Mora鈥檚 home.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a continued risk and a concern for the safety of the public at large,鈥� the prosecutor said.

Pastor Noriega said Friday that he 鈥渄id not want to get involved鈥� when asked for comment on Mora鈥檚 arrest. He did not respond to a question about whether he had kicked Mora out of his church after hearing about the allegations.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to say anything,鈥� Noriega said. 鈥淵ou lie too much, and you twist everything we say. Everything is twisted.鈥�

Noriega鈥檚 church, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle, which also goes by its formal name Tabernaculo Emanuel, was the subject of . Twenty former church members accused Golden Dawn of being a 鈥渃ult.鈥�

The newspaper series, 鈥淭wisted Message,鈥� uncovered a pattern of Noriega not acting on child sexual abuse allegations. As a pastor, Noriega is a mandatory reporter who has an obligation to report such allegations to police or the Department of Child Safety. Failure to report child molestation is a felony.

The charges against Mora are the first criminal charges related to the church.

John Calvo, a former congregant who runs , which aims to hold the church accountable for abuses of power, said Mora鈥檚 arrest is 鈥渁 long time coming.鈥�

Calvo said he is grateful that authorities are taking the allegations seriously even though it has taken a long time to get to this point. Philip originally reported his allegations to police in fall of 2023, and the newspaper investigation was published in November.

鈥淚 really hope that this is a wake-up call to the church, Golden Dawn Tabernacle, and that they stop sweeping allegations under the rug so that victims can come forward and have a voice,鈥� Calvo said. 鈥淭he victims in that church have been silenced since day one, and if they speak up, they get ostracized by Pastor Isaac Noriega.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a culture of cover-ups and gaslighting the victims,鈥� Calvo said. 鈥淚 hope that other victims feel empowered to come forward and speak about their experiences so that justice will be served for all the wrongdoing that has taken place in the church.鈥�

Tucson police spokesperson Frank Magos said that more victims have come forward since . He encourages more victims to come forward.

Anyone with information can call Tucson police鈥檚 child sexual assault unit at 520-837-7529.

Arizona Daily Star reporter Tim Steller contributed to this report.