BALTIMORE (MD)
Office of Attorney General of Maryland [Baltimore, MD]
November 4, 2026
Media Contacts
press@oag.maryland.gov
410-576-7009
Defendant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Young Boy at the Gilman School in the city of Baltimore in the mid-1970s
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the guilty plea and sentencing of Laurence LaPointe, 81, of Putnam, Connecticut, for sexually abusing a young boy in the mid-1970s at Gilman School in the city of Baltimore. The investigation was led by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
On November 4, 2026, LaPointe pleaded guilty before the Honorable Charles H. Dorsey III in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to one count of Fourth-Degree Sex Offense and one count of Common-Law Assault. Judge Dorsey sentenced LaPointe to three years of incarceration, all suspended, and five years of supervised probation. The conditions of supervised probation include that he have no direct contact with minors under the age of 18, not volunteer or work in any educational setting involving individuals under the age of 18, have no contact with the victim, and undergo a psychosexual evaluation and follow any recommended treatment.
“Those who were sexually assaulted as children continue to carry the burden of that trauma long after they reach adulthood,” said Attorney General Brown. “No matter how much time passes, we will help lift that weight off survivors’ shoulders and hold accountable anyone who abuses a position of trust to inflict such devastating harm on our children.”
Facts presented in court during the plea hearing established that LaPointe, who was a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Norwich but was temporarily assigned to Gilman School during the mid-1970s, was a chaplain and religion teacher at Gilman. During his time there, LaPointe met the victim, who was a middle school student attending Gilman. In approximately 1976-1977, LaPointe invited the victim to LaPointe’s on-campus apartment over the gymnasium to play chess. While there, LaPointe convinced the victim to play “strip chess.” During the game, LaPointe fondled the victim’s genitalia in LaPointe’s bedroom. He told the victim that it was a special thing between the two of them and the victim should not tell anyone about it. LaPointe was in his early 30s at the time of the offense, and the victim was a middle schooler..
The victim was present in court for the guilty plea and delivered a passionate victim impact statement. In his statement to the judge, the victim discussed the dilemma he had with disclosing the abuse and his decision to come forward, saying, “My desire for privacy could no longer outweigh my desire to see him held accountable.” The victim also said, “I hope his admission of guilt today marks the beginning of a much larger process of honesty and accountability. I hope he will find the courage to acknowledge any other misconduct, voluntarily and fully, without requiring other victims to endure years of investigation, the prospect of a trial, and the emotional burden of having to prove what happened to them. If there are others, and if he has even an ounce of dignity left in him, or perhaps a shred of that original purpose that led him to the seminary, then he owes them that truth.” The victim concluded his victim impact statement by saying, “Today, finally, after nearly fifty years, the heavy burden of his actions and the lasting harm he has caused, passes from me to its rightful place. From this day forward, it is Laurence LaPointe’s obligation to bear the weight of what he did to an innocent child.”
Judge Dorsey expressed empathy for the victim and all victims of sexual assault, telling the victim that he hoped that, now that the victim had delivered his statement, the memories would “no longer hold you in bondage.”
In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked Criminal Division Chief Katie Dorian, Organized Crime Unit Chief Paul Halliday, and Assistant Attorneys General Ashley Pamer and Jennifer Matteson, who prosecuted this case. Attorney General Brown also thanked Senior Investigator Richard Wolf and former Analyst Kayla Kress for their hard work on this investigation. Finally, Attorney General Brown especially thanked the civilian witnesses and the victim for their cooperation and help with the successful outcome.