--- description: The Catholic official is accused of helping hardened criminals get lesser sentences and continue extorting their victims title: El Salvador Priest Slapped With More Charges for Assisting Gang Members image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt541c89002d4ebfa8/69869e7f3bc999652a1a4cd4/ap684765844723.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [El Salvador](/tag/el-salvador/) ## El Salvador Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # El Salvador Priest Slapped With More Charges for Assisting Gang Members by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 6, 2014 1:36 AM CUT  In this Tuesday Oct. 24, 2006 file photo, Roman Catholic priest Antonio Rodriguez Tercero explains the function of the youth center in the San Salvador suburb Mejicanos, El Salvador. In this Tuesday Oct. 24, 2006 file photo, Roman Catholic priest Antonio Rodriguez Tercero explains the function of the youth center in the San Salvador suburb Mejicanos, El Salvador.Luis Romero—AP by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 6, 2014 1:36 AM CUT Authorities in El Salvador have handed down new charges for a Spanish priest [charged](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/el-salvador-add-charges-priest-gang-case "undefined") with participating in gang activity and giving aid to gang members. The litany of charges against Roman Catholic priest Antonio Rodriguez Tercero includes: convincing officials to reduce gang member sentences, smuggling contraband into prisons and helping gang members continue extorting victims from behind prison walls, the Associated Press reports. Tercero says he is being targeted due to his “honesty.” The priest, who runs a parish in a low-income neighborhood and works with gang member rehabilitation programs, has been a critic of the Salvadoran government’s anti-gang efforts. The same sweep that nabbed Tercero also netted 12 police officers, two judges, three court employees and two prosecution officials for suspected collaboration with the region’s powerful street gangs. \[[AP](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/el-salvador-add-charges-priest-gang-case "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3084232/el-salvador-priest-slapped-with-more-charges-for-assisting-gang-members/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3084232/el-salvador-priest-slapped-with-more-charges-for-assisting-gang-members/"},"headline":"El Salvador Priest Slapped With More Charges for Assisting Gang Members","datePublished":"2014-08-06T01:36:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:31:14.969Z","description":"The Catholic official is accused of helping hardened criminals get lesser sentences and continue extorting their victims","url":"https://time.com/3084232/el-salvador-priest-slapped-with-more-charges-for-assisting-gang-members/","keywords":["El Salvador","gangs"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt541c89002d4ebfa8/69869e7f3bc999652a1a4cd4/ap684765844723.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt541c89002d4ebfa8/69869e7f3bc999652a1a4cd4/ap684765844723.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Antonio Rodriguez","caption":"Antonio Rodriguez","creditText":"Luis Romero—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/el-salvador/","name":"El Salvador"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3084232/el-salvador-priest-slapped-with-more-charges-for-assisting-gang-members/","name":"El Salvador Priest Slapped With More Charges for Assisting Gang Members"}}]}] ```