‘I offended God’: Nampa priest pleads guilty to sexually assaulting teen
A man who was a Catholic priest when arrested in Nampa last year entered a guilty plea in a sexual abuse case involving a teenager and is set to be sentenced in two months.
On Jan. 27, Robert Mendez Esquivel, 46, also known as Father Toto, pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual battery by lewd or lascivious acts.
Mendez Esquivel was originally charged with and pleaded not guilty to three charges: two counts of child sexual battery and one of rape of a 16-year-old. As part of a plea agreement, two counts will be dismissed.
Mendez Esquivel was serving as a priest at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Nampa at the time of the crime on Aug. 14, 2025, and his subsequent arrest later that month.
In a Canyon County court hearing, Mendez Esquivel recounted the crime and said that it was the “worst mistake” of his life. He told Canyon County Judge Davis VanderVelde of the 3rd Judicial District that he downloaded a dating app and then messaged a 16-year-old. He said he met the teen at a park, and the teen performed a sexual act on him.
“I offended God and I offended all of these beautiful people in my community of Nampa,” he said during the hearing. “And to the victim, I did something horrible with the act of lascivious to satisfy my lust, and I completely repent for that.”
Mendez Esquivel’s defense attorney requested that his punishment be a 20-year sentence, with five years required in prison before being eligible for parole. Under Idaho law, the most strict punishment he could face for the sexual battery of a 16-year-old is life in prison.
During the hearing, his defense attorney said they received over 50 letters of support for Mendez Esquivel, which a handful will be read during the sentencing hearing.
That sentencing is scheduled for April 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the Canyon County Courthouse.
