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Image: Official emblem of the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite; via Wikipedia.
KFOX 14 reported earlier today on a civil lawsuit that was filed in April, which accuses a local religious recovery counselor and a treatment program in El Paso of sexually abusing five men who were enrolled in a court mandated program.
According to the complaint, the men say they were groomed, assaulted and threatened by Jorge Gabriel Giorgetti, also known as George Gabriel Georgetti, a chaplain and recovery coach who had ongoing access to residents.
The Recovery Alliance of El Paso operates several programs for individuals struggling with addiction, including Casa Vida de Salud, a 37 bed residential recovery center. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that throughout the summer of 2024, Giorgetti used his authority over court mandated residents to repeatedly abuse them. The suit claims Giorgetti questioned residents under the guise of spiritual counseling, then shifted the conversations to sexual topics. According to the filing, he asked residents about sexual abuse, sexual acts with men and women, homosexual thoughts and other explicit subjects. The lawsuit also alleges that Giorgetti routinely took residents to restaurants where he asked questions about whether they found waitresses attractive, whether they felt aroused or what sexual acts they would perform.
The complaint states that on multiple occasions Giorgetti took residents to additional locations, including his home, his car and the recovery facility office, where he sexually assaulted them under coercion and fear. The lawsuit claims Casa Vida allowed Giorgetti to take residents on outings, giving him unsupervised access to vulnerable individuals. According to the plaintiffs, they feared reporting the abuse because Giorgetti reminded them that he could mark them as non compliant, which could lead to jail time. One plaintiff quoted Giorgetti as saying, “If you don’t do this, I will throw you out.” Another recalled him saying, “No one would believe an addict.”
The lawsuit, filed in April 2025, names El Paso Alliance of El Paso, Casa Vida de Salud, Giorgetti and several other defendants across the country. Additional defendants include the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, the Diocese of the Holy Trinity and Great Plains and the Right Reverend Leo Joseph Michael. The suit alleges these entities kept Giorgetti in a leadership role, allowed him continued access to residents, ignored complaints and failed to act on warning signs of abuse.
Giorgetti’s lawyer issued a statement saying he is aware of the lawsuit and intends to respond through the legal process, adding that he will not comment further. Recovery Alliance Executive Director Ben Bass issued a separate statement defending the organization’s history and saying it is vigorously fighting the lawsuit. The Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite did not respond to media inquiries.
A plaintiff’s attorney representing one of the victims said the men deserve their day in court and that recovery programs must protect the vulnerable people entrusted to them. Another plaintiff’s attorney stated that Casa Vida was supposed to be a place of safety but instead empowered Giorgetti, who used religious authority and institutional power to coerce, intimidate and sexually abuse residents. The attorney said, “The facility knew. The church leadership knew. No one stepped in. This case is about accountability. It is about institutions that failed in their most basic duty: protecting the people they were trusted to serve.”
The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages. Giorgetti is currently associated with Our Lady of the Abandoned Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite and is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso, which confirmed he has no connection to their organization. According to public records, Giorgetti previously worked as a victim advocate with the El Paso District Attorney’s Office for almost 10 years and was known publicly through various community and media engagements.
