PENNSYLVANIA
Church Militant
by Joseph Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • February 3, 2016
Victim allegedly admits he was not sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Maurizio
JOHNSTOWN, Penn. (ChurchMilitant.com) – New evidence is emerging in the case of a Pennsylvania priest convicted of sex abuse.
A federal judge heard claims Tuesday that prosecutors withheld evidence against Fr. Joseph Maurizio, 70, who was found guilty in September of repeated sexual abuse over the course of several years while acting as a missionary in Honduras.
The convictions include sexually abusing children at the ProNino orphanage in El Progresso, using orphanage funds to pay for sexual favors from “street children” and taking a photo of a naked child.
According to Tuesday’s hearing, a statement by one of the alleged victims known as Erick had not been brought forth during the trial, and involved the boy admitting to officials that he hadn’t been “abused” by Fr. Maurizio. “Perhaps they think he really abused me, but that was not the case,” Erick had informed the team of investigators.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Larson asserts that in the mind of the alleged victim, the word “abuse” refers to a specific sex act, as the boy later elucidated his statement and confirmed that the priest had indeed fondled him. This, says Larson, is in line with his testimony.
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