A former North Miami Catholic school deacon and teacher walked out of court a free man Wednesday, shortly after admitting he molested four of his minor students.
More than two years after his arrest, Carlos Humberto Ramirez was released after he accepted a plea deal offered by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
The former teacher at Holy Family Catholic School pleaded guilty to four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct against a child under 16 years of age. If Humberto Ramirez had gone to trial, and jurors convicted him, he was facing up to 60 years in state prison.
However, as part of the deal offered to him by prosecutors, Humberto Ramirez was sentenced to 29 months with credit for time served, followed by 10 years of probation. He must register as a sex offender, attend a mentally disordered sex offender treatment program, and is now considered a convicted felon.
Because he’s been in jail since 2023 and was given credit for the time he served, Humberto Ramirez walked out of the Miami-Dade criminal courthouse shortly after admitting he molested children.
Prosecutor Lily Wisset told Judge Carlos Humberto Gamez the victims approved the plea deal.
According to an arrest report, one of the allegations involved an 8-year-old third-grader who said Ramirez touched her inappropriately over her clothes three separate times beginning in October 2021.
Another student said Ramirez kissed her on the forehead and touched her chest over her clothes in October 2022, an arrest report said.
An 11-year-old student also reported she was turning in her classwork when Ramirez grabbed her by the waist and squeezed her rear end, the reports stated.
Humberto Ramirez has always been supported by his family, who were present during Wednesday’s hearing. Even during a 2023 Arthur Hearing, his wife Lazara Ramirez, urged the judge to grant him a bond and pledged her Miami-Dade property to ensure he shows up to court. The judge never allowed Humberto Ramirez to be released.
“He’s a person of integrity, honest person, and dedicated his life to this community. Has worked with people in need Opa Locka, Miami Gardens, in the areas no one wants to work,” she said in 2023. “Your honor, I believe my husband is not guilty. I believe he hasn’t done anything of what he’s being charged.”
On Wednesday, Ramirez and her husband hugged for several minutes when he was released from custody, but both declined NBC6’s request for comment.
“This whole thing shouldn’t have happened, but I appreciate he felt the need to just accept responsibility and just move on with his life so that the victims could move on with their life as well,” defense attorney Larry Handfield said.
Attorney Adam Horowitz, who represents two of the minors, said the fight isn’t over yet and announced a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami.
“The claim against the church and the archdiocese over the years should know a thing or two about abuse and how to prevent it,” Horowitz said. “And so our claim is that the church and the school failed to protect these kids from abuse in the classroom during the school day.”
In a statement Wednesday, the archdiocese said Humberto Ramirez is no longer an employee of the school and hasn’t served in any capacity since his arrest.
“Holy Family School officials and Archdiocese administrators fully cooperated with the ensuing investigation,” the statement read, in part.
The statement said the archdiocese has implemented “significant measures” to protect children and vulnerable adults that includes background screenings and training.
“When someone feels uncomfortable or is an alleged victim of inappropriate behavior each is encouraged to contact the Department of Children and Family’s abuse hotline at 1-800-962-2873, local police, and report such behavior to the Archdiocese of Miami’s Victim Assistance Hotline at 1-866-802-2873,” the statement said. “We hold in prayer the victims and all who have been impacted, and we entrust them to the healing presence of Christ.”
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
