( CNN ) -- It would not be surprising for an associate pastor to pray with his parishioners . But Jorge Juan Castro wound up preying on them instead , the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department said Friday . He is accused of raping more than 20 women , many of whom are Spanish-speaking , undocumented immigrants . The alleged abuse began in October 2004 , shortly after Castro took a job as associate pastor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk , and continued until September 2012 , the department said in a news release . Castro was arrested last Friday at his home in Norwalk and was being held in Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $ 2 million bail . The allegations came to light when the women , ages 18 to 39 , implicated Castro to a third party who then told detectives , authorities said . The alleged incidents began in October 2004 and continued until September 2012 . During that time , Castro was working as an associate pastor and counselor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk , the department said . `` The suspect allegedly preyed upon the victims ' vulnerability , '' the news release said . `` He did this by invoking fear by threatening to tell the victims if they reported him he would have the victims deported , while additionally threatening to expose the victims to public embarrassment and ridicule . '' Castro was booked on an arrest warrant listing six felony charges of rape , oral copulation and penetration by a foreign object , authorities said . Detectives from the county 's Special Victims Bureau were asking for help from the public in identifying any other possible victims .
Jorge Juan Castro , an associate pastor , is being held in lieu of $ 2 million bail . He was arrested on suspicion of child molestation and sexual abuse involving a minor. Castro allegedly raped more than 20 undocumented immigrants . He allegedly threatened to have them deported if they told .