Jehovah's Witness elder admits to sexual abuse of boy that was covered up by church

A former Jehovah's Witness church elder admitted to sexually assaulting one of his teenage students.

Jason Morris Gorski pleaded guilty last week in California to two counts of lewd acts with a minor, reported the OC Weekly.

The 44-year-old Gorski met the 13-year-old victim while teaching Southwestern Longview Private School in Long Beach, and while serving as an elder at the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall congregation in Cypress, which the boy also attended.

Prosecutors said Gorski sexually assaulted the boy in Buena Park between June 2007 and June 2008, and the boy reported the abuse to church leaders in 2009.

Church leaders required Gorski to step down as elder but allowed him to continue as an active member.

Gorski moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina, the following year and began attending another Jehovah's Witness congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He wasn't arrested until June 2016, after the victim reported the abuse to police.

"Over the years, many children have been exposed to Gorski, specifically during his time as a school teacher and church leader," police at the time of his arrest. "It is believed that additional victims may exist who have not yet reported their abuse to authorities."

Gorski could face up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in January.