Black Collar Crime Conviction for Former Jehovah’s Witness Elder and Teacher
Jason Morris Gorski
FULLERTON – The Orange County District Attorney’s Offices has announced the conviction of Jason Morris Gorski (44) of Fort Mill, South Carolina, for sexually assaulting a teenage boy he met at church.
The former elder of the Jehovah’s Witness church and teacher at a now-closed private school in Long Beach pleaded guilty yesterday to committing the black collar crime (an action or omission committed by a religious or judicial figure that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law) and 2 felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14.
Between June 12, 2007, and June 11, 2008, the defendant was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old John Doe from his congregation at various locations in Buena Park.
Prior to the crimes, Gorski was employed as a school teacher at the now closed Southwestern Longview Private School in Long Beach for approximately four years, ending in April 2007. John Doe was a student in one of the defendant’s classes.
At the time of the crimes, Gorski was an active member of a Jehovah’s Witness congregation in Cypress. The defendant was accused of violating his position of leadership and trust as an appointed elder beginning in June 2007.
In 2009, John Doe reported the abuse to their congregation. Gorski was removed from his position as an elder, but remained an active member of the congregation.
In 2010, Gorski moved to South Carolina and began attending a Jehovah’s Witness congregation in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina. In March 2016, John Doe reported the sexual abuse to law enforcement, and on June 21, 2016, Gorski was arrested by the Buena Park Police Department, who investigated this case.
Gorski faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration. Sentencing is set for January 26, 2018.
