Fr. James R. Porter

Ordained: 1960
Status: Guilty plea

Died: 02/11/2005
Diocese: Diocese of Fall River MA

Laicized in 1974. Married and had four children. Named in multiple civil suits in MA and MN for abuse in the 1960s and early 1970s. Accused of abusing 100s of children in MA, NM, Crookston MN and TX before and after treatment. Found guilty in MN in 1992 of molesting a babysitter. Served 4 months. Conviction overturned by MN Supreme Court. Pleaded guilty in 1993 in MA to abusing 28 children. Sentenced to 18-20 years. Over 100 claims settled. Died in 2/2005 of cancer while awaiting release from prison. A woman filed suit in MN in 6/2013. Name included in 10/2023 on the St. Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese’s list of accused. Suit filed in 1/2015 claiming rape of a former NM altar boy; plaintiff also claimed rape by Fr. Bernard Bissonette. On the Santa Fe archdiocese’s list 9/12/2017. On Las Vegas diocese’s list 4/12/2019. On Las Cruces list 6/24/2019. On Fall River diocese’s list in 1/2021. Settlement announced in 10/2023 with a 70-year-old man who claimed abuse, including sodomy, at age 8 in MA by Porter. Included on the Duluth diocese’s list in 3/2024, where he was assigned 1969-1970.

Return to main database page. See abbreviations and posting policy. Send corrections.

Our Database of Publicly Accused does not state or imply that individuals facing allegations are guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims. The reports contained in the database are merely allegations. The U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.