Police say Hempstead church leader charged with raping minor

A Uniondale man was charged Thursday with multiple counts of sexual intercourse with a minor, beginning when the woman was 12 and he served as the leader of a Hempstead church, Nassau County police said.

Jose Wilfredo Vazquez Cardoza, 49, of Maple Avenue was located by detectives from the Special Victims Section on Wednesday and arrested without incident, authorities said.

Cardoza is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sexual abuse, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree distribution of indecent material to a minor, and endangering the welfare of a child.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Hempstead on Thursday and was held on $100,000 bail or $200,000 surety.

According to investigators, Cardoza had sexual relations with the female victim on several occasions between August 21, 2011, and April 7, 2016, when the girl was between 12 and 16 years old.

Police said when the abuse began, Cardoza was a church leader in charge of security at the Iglesia Cristiana Unida church in Hempstead.

Since March 2023, he has been an active member and elder of the Iglesia Misionera El Redentor on Merrick Road in Amityville, officials said.

Cardoza is due back in court on Monday. Online court records do not indicate whether Cardoza has a defense attorney.

Detectives are asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Cardoza to call Special Victims Squad Detectives at 516-573-4022 or Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477. All callers will remain anonymous.