Fr. Austin Peter Keegan

Ordained: 1962
Status: Settled

Died: 10/22/2021
Diocese: Archdiocese of San Francisco CA

Ordained for San Francisco.  Complaints of abuse of children to the Archdiocese as early as 1965. May have abused at least 80 children in CA. Was moved to the Santa Rosa diocese, where he was assigned 1976-1981. Stripped of duties by the San Francisco Archdiocese in 1982. Moved to Baja Mexico, found there by a news crew in 1994. Civil suit in 1994 alleged abuse of a boy at St. Eugene’s in the Santa Rosa diocese. Settled in 1995 for $450K. Living in Oceanside, CA when indicted in 9/2002, charged with the molestation and sodomy of two boys, ages 10 and 14, in the late 1960s. Fled to Mexico, where he was working at an orphanage. Arrested in Puerta Vallarta in 3/2003, charged with 75 counts of abuse of three Sonoma County children. Charges dropped in 2003 due to Supreme Court ruling on statutes of limitation. On Santa Rosa diocese’s list of accused 1/12/2019. On Las Cruces diocese’s list of credibly accused 6/24/2019, where he worked in 1991. Died 10/22/2021. Named in new lawsuit(s) in 2022.


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