PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Local News
By SARA MOSQUEDA-FERNANDEZ
sferandez@dailylocal.com
Monsignor William Lynn became the first U.S. church official criminally convicted for covering up abuse claims related to predator-priests.
Lynn, 61, was convicted of child endangerment, but acquitted of conspiracy in June. Lynn previously served as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, mostly under the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.
After 13 days of deliberating, jurors decided that Lynn endangered the victim of Edward Avery, a now defrocked priest, who pleaded guilty before trial to a sexual assault from 1999.
Avery is serving a 2½- to 5-year prison term. As secretary, Lynn sent Avery for sexual-offender treatment, but knew he was later sent to live in a parish.
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