Father Francisco Xavier Ochoa
Diocese of Santa Rosa
Ordained: 1969
Laicized: 2009
Died: 2009
Assignment History:
- 1969-1987: Chihuahua, Mexico
- 1987-1989: St. Francis Solano (Sonoma, CA)
- 1989-1991: St. John the Baptist (Napa, CA)
- 1991-1993: St. Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa, CA)
- 1994-1997: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Windsor, CA)
- 2000-2006: St. Francis Solano (Sonoma, CA)
- 2006-2009: Mexico
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Francisco Javier Ochoa:
A native of Guadalajara, Fr. Francisco Javier Ochoa was ordained a priest in 1969, who served in the Diocese of Santa Rosa. According to media reports, he was placed on leave in April 2006 after acknowledging recent sexual misconduct involving a 12-year-old altar boy. He then admitted to Bishop Daniel Walsh that when living in Mexico he had a history of “a problem with a boy.”
Investigators later learned that Ochoa violently raped a 14-year-old boy when living in Carichi, Chihuahua, Mexico. Bishop Walsh didn’t report Ochoa’s admission of abuse to law enforcement for three days, during which Ochoa had fled to Mexico.
Two civil suits were filed in October 2006 by seven accusers. Ten plaintiffs settled with the diocese and bishop in September 2007 for a little over $5 million. A federal arrest warrant was issued on July 27, 2008.
Fr. Ochoa died a fugitive in 2009 in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Santa Rosa now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Diocese of Santa Rosa, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.