MICHIGAN
Detroit Free Press
By Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press July 14, 2015
A Catholic priest who worked at a Detroit high school was sentenced to 12 years in prison today after he pleaded guilty to transporting child porn to Chicago and admitted to sexually assaulting a former student.
Fr. Richard James Kurtz, 70, was a chemistry teacher years ago at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit.
Kurtz, who was brought in the courtroom Tuesday shackled and handcuffed, read a statement before Judge Mark Goldsmith, saying he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.
“Words can’t express how much remorse I feel,” Kurtz said. “… Some of my victims have names that are known to me. I am guilty of capturing images of them for my perverse pleasure. … The damage I’ve done must be borne by them for time to come. I accept full responsibility for betraying them.”
Before handing down a 144-month prison sentence, Goldsmith said Kurtz’s crime victimized children, who are an especially vulnerable population.
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