FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel
Stephen Hudak
Orlando Sentinel
The newly appointed music director for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando withdrew from the job before his background check was completed and while the FBI was conducting a child-exploitation investigation in Long Island, N.Y., where he directed youth choirs.
Michael Wustrow was supposed to begin his new job Nov. 1 at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando.
Wustrow, 55, who could not be reached for comment, was co-music director for St. Agnes Cathedral in the Diocese of Rockville Centre and had directed adult and children choirs when the FBI seized his work computer, the New York diocese announced Friday on its website.
The diocese relieved him of all duties, and a spokesman said the diocese was cooperating with law enforcement.
Marci Hamilton, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and chief executive of Child USA, an organization that advocates for victims of sexual abuse by religious organizations, was troubled that the Orlando dioceses conducted a background check after hiring Wustrow.
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.