Emmanuel Marchica, 51, of Hollister, California, was arrested July 10 after Monterey County Sheriff's Office detectives launched an investigation into allegations of ongoing child sexual abuse that quickly expanded beyond a single victim.
According to investigators, Marchica was serving as a pastor and regularly offering religious services at a community gathering center in the Hidden Valley community of San Benito County at the time of his arrest.
Detectives launched the investigation on July 5 after receiving a report alleging the ongoing sexual abuse of a child, and quickly interviewed witnesses and identified several additional alleged victims before serving multiple search warrants that ultimately led to Marchica's arrest.
Disclosures from victims date back to at least 2012, leading detectives to believe additional victims and witnesses may still be out there.
The investigation revealed that Marchica previously owned bakery businesses in Prunedale and Monterey, as well as gyms in Sand City, Seaside and Prunedale, where he offered physical therapy, massage therapy services and worked as a Jiu-jitsu instructor.
Marchica was booked into the Monterey County Jail on multiple felony charges, including lewd or lascivious acts with a child, sexual penetration of a child, oral copulation with a child and annoying or molesting a child, with bail set at $17.5 million.
The sheriff's office is urging anyone who may have been victimized by Marchica or anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact detectives, who are working to identify additional victims and encourage those who have been abused to come forward.
Victims of sexual abuse often delay reporting for many years, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office reassures that victims will be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect throughout the investigative process.
