Ex-pastor who pleaded guilty to sex crimes against minor sentenced to prison

TUCSON, AZ (KGUN) – A former Tucson pastor was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes against a minor.

Jose Mora, 57, was arrested in April 2025 as part of a Tucson police Child Sexual Assault Unit investigation that began two years prior. At the time of his arrest, he was booked on five counts of child molestation and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

The victims were between the ages of 12 and 14 at the time of the offenses, which reportedly occurred between 2004 and 2012.

The case originated in October 2023, when TPD received an initial report of child molestation involving Mora. Detectives learned that Mora had met the victim through Golden Dawn Tabernacle, formerly known as Tabernaculo Emanuel, a church located on Tucson’s Southside that both the suspect and victim’s family attended.

In January 2025, a second victim came forward and provided a statement to investigators. As the inquiry expanded, detectives uncovered multiple incidents of inappropriate contact between Mora and several young boys who were members of the church’s congregation.

On April 10, 2025, federal authorities notified TPD that Mora was in custody in Eloy, Arizona, on an unrelated matter. TPD detectives traveled to Eloy to interview Mora and secure an arrest warrant. He was formally transferred into TPD custody a week later.

On Sept. 28, 2026, Mora pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted sexual contact with a minor under age 15.