LOGAN — The former leader of a local charity organization has been bound over on more charges of sexually abusing young children. Jorge A. Manan-Moreno is being held in a Utah County Jail without bail after being arrested a year ago.
Manan-Moreno participated in a preliminary hearing Wednesday, July 17, in Logan’s 1st District Court. He was previously charged with 32 counts in two cases. The charges included felonies for aggravated sexual abuse of a child, forcible sodomy, and surreptitious administering of a certain substance.
Defense attorney Shannon Demler told the court Manan-Moreno wished to waive his rights to the hearing, where a judge would have determined whether or not prosecutors have sufficient evidence to justify the charges. He also entered pleas of “not guilty” to the crimes and explained they were negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors.
On June 12, 2023, Spanish Fork Police officers were contacted by the alleged victim. The teenage boy told investigators how he and several other boys had allegedly been inappropriately touched by Manan-Moreno, a family/friend. The incidents took place at residences in Smithfield, Spanish Fork, Pleasant Grove, and Taylorsville, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The alleged victim explained how all of the families were originally from Chile and often got together twice a month to socialize. Since Manan-Moreno and others lived several hours away, they would often spend the night at each other’s homes.
Court documents explained how the allegations occurred during these sleepovers, and involved the boys being molested and forced to perform sex acts with Manan-Moreno, while others were sleeping.
Prosecutors in Provo, Salt Lake City, and American Fork later filed five more cases against Manan-Moreno. The charges include 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony.
During Wednesday’s court appearance, Manan-Moreno said he agreed with his attorney to waive his rights to the preliminary hearing. He told the court he continues to be held in the Utah County Jail, while facing the additional cases there.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck accepted Manan-Moreno’s waiver. She ordered him to appear again in court August 28.
Manan-Moreno was the director of the Catalina Lovy Foundation that reportedly would help low-income, underserved elderly people and people with disabilities. He was released by the organization days after his first arrest.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.