2 Altoona Franciscan Friars Enter Pleas in Child Sex Abuse Case

By Stephen Huba
TribLive
May 4, 2018

http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/13616128-74/2-altoona-franciscan-friars-enter-pleas-in-child-sex-abuse-case

Two Altoona Franciscan friars will serve five years' probation for their part in covering up the child sexual abuse committed by Brother Stephen Baker in the 1990s, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

The friars, Robert D'Aversa, 70, and Anthony Criscitelli, 63, entered no-contest pleas Friday to endangering the welfare of children, a first-degree misdemeanor, Shapiro said.

They are among the first religious leaders in the United States, and the first members of a Pennsylvania religious order, to be held criminally liable for covering up sexual abuse of children by other clergy.

“These defendants knew the abuser was a serious threat to children, but they allowed him to engage with children and have access to them as part of his job within their order,” Shapiro said. “They chose time and time again to prioritize their institution's reputation over the safety of victims.”

D'Aversa and Criscitelli oversaw operations of the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular, and thus were the superiors of Baker when he worked at Bishop McCort Catholic High School in Johnstown from 1992 to 2001.

Baker was found dead of apparent suicide at the St. Bernardine Monastery in Hollidaysburg on Jan. 26, 2013, days after the announcement of a multimillion-dollar settlement with his accusers. He was first accused of sexual abuse in 1988, but his superiors never reported allegations to police.

Three Franciscan friars, including D'Aversa and Criscitelli, were indicted in 2016 for failing to properly supervise Baker. The third defendant, Anthony Schinelli, was dismissed from the case last year on statute of limitations grounds.

On Friday, Blair County Judge Jolene G. Kopriva sentenced the two men to five years' probation, the maximum allowed, and fined them $1,000 and costs.

“The criminal sanction handed down by the court today is less significant than the convictions for covering up sexual abuse of children by a member of their order for many years,” Shapiro said.

State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat who is working to extend the statute of limitations, said in April that the special grand jury investigation of clergy sexual abuse in six Roman Catholic dioceses across the state is nearing completion.

He said he expects the attorney general's office to release the findings sometime later this month or in June.

Stephen Huba is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-850-1280, shuba@tribweb.com