PENNSYLVANIA
Philly.com
by Caitlin McCabe, STAFF WRITER.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – One day after the release of a damning state grand jury report on sexual abuse by clergy, a federal judge Wednesday sentenced a Catholic priest to more than 16 years in prison for sexually assaulting two children during missionary trips to Honduras.
Joseph Maurizio, 70, one of the priests named in that report, also must pay a $50,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution to each child under terms imposed by U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson. The sentence follows the priest’s conviction in September and subsequent failed effort to secure a new trial.
Gibson lectured the cleric before handing down the sentence, criticizing him for having preyed on vulnerable children by giving them candy, money and gifts, only to then abuse them. He further scolded Gibson for hiding behind the clerical collar.
“You abused a position of public trust,” Gibson said.
Maurizio greeted the judge’s sentence with silence. He was escorted out of court in shackles.
The sentencing came a day after the findings of a two-year state grand jury probe into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.