PENNSYLVANIA
Reading Eagle
The Associated Press
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in the trial of a Roman Catholic priest from western Pennsylvania charged with traveling to Honduras to molest poor street children during missionary trips.
Defense attorneys rested their case in Cambria County Court on Friday afternoon without calling the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr., 70, of Windber to the stand.
Maurizio, who has been suspended from Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Somerset County, is accused of traveling abroad from 2004 to 2009 to have sex with three young boys — a charge known as sexual tourism — and illegally transferring $8,000 to a charity to help fund the trips.
A defense expert witness on Friday raised questions about investigators’ treatment of alleged abuse victims, suggesting that interviewers can implant ideas that lead to false accusations.
Forensic psychologist Frank Dattilio said social workers, detectives and child advocates occasionally see sexual abuse “where it doesn’t exist … and it can influence how they ask questions.” He acknowledged, however, that it is “very rare” for authorities to deliberately frame questions to elicit a desired answer.
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