VIRGINIA
WJLA
BY JOCE STERMAN, ABC 7 NEWS FRIDAY, AUGUST 21ST 2015
WASHINGTON (WJLA) — The 7 On Your Side I-Team has confirmed a New Jersey priest accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a minor has ties to local schools. Manuel Gallo-Espinoza has never been criminally charged. His church believed he fled the country more than a decade ago, but ABC 7 discovered Gallo-Espinoza spent nine years teaching children in our area, although there were no accusations of wrongdoing during his time in two area facilities.
Becky Ianni waited 40 years to deal with the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of the Alexandria priest that became a family friend. She said, “I was told I’d go to hell if I told on this priest.”
Ianni eventually spoke up, coming forward decades after her abuser committed suicide. She received a settlement from the church, but not justice. That’s what she helps others try to find through SNAP, The Survivors Network of those Abuse by Priests.
“It’s to let victims know they’re not alone and to encourage them to go to prosecutors,” Ianni said.
The Burke, Virginia resident’s most recent cause involves Manuel Gallo-Espinoza, spotted in a Visa photo obtained by NJ.com, which first reported on his case. Records obtained by the 7 On Your Side I-Team show the priest was removed from his post in 2003 following allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.
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