Investigation: Florida was dumping ground for priests accused of sex abuse

FLORIDA
ABC-7 News

December 16, 2020

By Jeff Butera

SOUTHWEST Fla. – Investigators in the Florida Attorney General’s office have completed a two-year investigation into sexual abuse inside Florida Catholic churches, revealing three major findings:

– Using 267 tips to a tip line, investigators found 97 Florida priests accused of sexual abuse in Florida.

– The investigation did not uncover current, ongoing or unreported sexual abuse by Florida priests.

– Investigators found 81 priests who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse in other states, then transferred, relocated or retired to Florida, sometimes without the knowledge of the Florida churches they were being moved to.

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