ABUSE TRACKER

Maryland is facing what could become one of the largest financial liabilities in its history, with more than 12,305 child sexual abuse claims filed against state government entities under the Child Victims Act. Potential costs to taxpayers are estimated as high as $60 billion, according to some lawmakers.

The growing legal exposure comes with no clear public plan for how the state would pay for it, as Maryland already faces mounting budget pressure and increased scrutiny from credit rating agencies.

Moody’s Ratings downgraded Maryland’s credit for the first time in nearly 30 years in May 2025, following an outlook warning first reported by FOX45 News the previous year.

Since the Maryland General Assembly passed the Child Victims Act in 2023, eliminating the statute of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse to bring claims, lawsuits against both public and private institutions have surged….

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In this sense, Rute Agulhas believes that “the work is so important” that this structure has “been developed in close proximity to schools, scouts, catechists, precisely because these adults are the ones who are close to children and young people”.

The person in charge also noted that the VITA Group continues “to receive, since the beginning, requests for help from people who have been victims of abusive situations outside the Church, whether in the family, at school, non-Catholic school, in other contexts”.

“We are also, sometimes, approached for situations of domestic violence, situations that do not fall within the scope of our mission”, he said, explaining that the VITA group forwards these cases to the competent authorities, also depending on the person’s area of ​​residence.

According to Rute Agulhas, these requests, in these contexts, are not increasing.

Regarding the amount of financial compensation (between 9 thousand and 45 thousand euros)…

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Trustee behind the request is “disappointed.”

The Minister of Education doesn’t see a reason to conduct an audit of the local Catholic school board, and that’s disappointing to some.

At the March 24 meeting of the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB), trustees officially received a letter from Minister of Education Paul Calandra. The letter was the long waited for response to a controversial 2024 motion from the board requesting that the Ministry of Education conduct a financial and management audit of the HCDSB.

Proponents of sending the request argued it was a chance to address what they believe is the persistent underfunding of the HCDSB when compared to other school boards in the province.

“I, as the minister, may direct an audit of the board or, in accordance with the Education Act, pursue an investigation of the board’s financial affairs. Given that the school board has…

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Pope Leo XIV’s four-nation, 11-day trip to Africa is so dizzying in its complexity it recalls some of the globetrotting odysseys of St. John Paul II in his early years.

Themes Leo is expected to raise include Christian-Muslim coexistence, the over-exploitation of the region’s natural and human resources, corruption and migration.

Here’s a country-by-country look at each destination and highlights of the itinerary:

ALGERIA: April 13-15

The Algeria stop clearly carries the most personal importance for Leo, given his ties to St. Augustine, the inspiration of his religious order who lived and died there. Leo will visit Annaba, the modern-day Hippo where the 5th century saint was a bishop.

Migration and Christian-Muslim coexistence are expected to be other top themes in Algeria, a former French colony which is a majority Sunni Muslim nation on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast. Leo will pay homage to migrants killed in shipwrecks trying to reach Europe and…

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The new leader of Seattle Public Schools said he wants to improve how the district responds when teachers are accused of sexual abuse or harassment.

Since arriving in Seattle in February, Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said he’s seen “renewed vigor” in the district’s human resources department, which is currently looking into a backlog of old cases.

“If you came up to my office, you would actually see stacks of data around investigations that have happened over the last couple of years and me really pushing to say, ‘Where are we with this? What’s going on?’” Shuldiner said in a recent interview with KUOW’s “Adults in the Room” podcast.

The seven-part podcast revisits decades-old sexual misconduct allegations against Tom Hudson, a beloved biology teacher at Garfield High School, and examines the district’s teacher accountability system.

Not all of the cases Shuldiner and the HR department are reviewing today…

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After years of mediation in the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese bankruptcy case stemming from the abuse of children over nearly a century, the church’s largest insurer offered $100 million in settlement funds.

The offer, from The Hartford, is the first of its kind in the case, which has drawn scrutiny from survivors as some fear they may die before the case comes to a conclusion.

The offer is only one piece of the puzzle, as the archdiocese, its parishes and a handful of other insurance companies that hold accounts with the church still have not come to any agreement with the committee that represents the survivors.

Jonathan Schochor, founding partner and chairman of Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A., who represents survivors, said the funds cannot be paid out piecemeal and that the survivors still need to wait until all parties come to an agreement.

However, the offer may get the…

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One of the insurers in the Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case has agreed to pay to settle some claims, according to a court filing.

WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates has learned Hartford Insurance Group will pay $100 million to settle claims from some victims, documents show.

The group will also buy back all of the insurance policies from the archdiocese.

Attorneys for the committee representing the survivors said the move is a big step forward.

“It is significant,” said Jonathan Schochor. “It is not going to get it done — not even close to getting it done. It is significant for an insurance carrier to step up and do what they need to do.”

In a statement, Christian Kendzierski, executive director for the archdiocese, said: “The archdiocese continues to be committed to the process and working with the Survivors Committee and others to achieve agreed-upon resolution of these reorganization…

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“I want to make sure other students don’t have to experience what I experienced,” the student says

Content warning: This article contains details about alleged sexual assault and may be distressing to some readers. Resources for support are listed at the end of this article.

An Oakville student is calling for accountability from the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) after she says she was sexually assaulted while completing a volunteer placement promoted to students to fulfill mandatory graduation requirements.

The high school student, who is being identified as “Jane” due to ongoing court proceedings, spoke with Oakville News alongside her lawyer and father about her experience and the broader concerns it has raised about student safety.

According to the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS), the alleged incident took place while Jane was volunteering at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church. Police say they began investigating in early February after receiving a complaint of a…

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Earlier this week, GoLocal was the first to report that a student at the Barrington boarding school, St. Andrew’s, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and simple assault.

The alleged perpetrator is a juvenile.

Since then, GoLocal has learned that a second student had come forward making similar allegations against the same individual. The alleged victim’s parents notified the school of the allegations over a month ago.

The Rhode Island Family Court has issued an order barring the alleged perpetrator from contacting the two alleged victims. Further, the individual has been ordered to home confinement and must wear an electronic monitoring device.

By Rhode Island law, the school is required to report any allegations of abuse and neglect to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) within 24 hours.

GoLocal on Friday was told by DCYF spokesperson Barb Francella, “DCYF was not formally made aware by St….

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Christian David Vargas, 22, was arrested on April 7 on a warrant for lewd and lascivious battery of a victim under 16 years of age; the victim in this case is the third to accuse him of engaging in sexual intercourse with girls under the age of 16, and all of the alleged incidents occurred at Ignite Life Center (404 NW 13th Avenue), where Vargas’s father, Mark Vega, was the senior pastor.

Vega has been charged with failing to report suspected child abuse, related to four cases in which he allegedly knew that young men were having sex with underage girls at the church but failed to report the incidents to law enforcement; Gabriel Hernandez was sentenced to five years in prison, Noel Cruz was sentenced to three years of probation, and the two cases against Vargas are still open.

Click here…

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A now 34-year-old woman detailed being sexually abused by Troyce Hernandez in 2010.

A 51-year-old pastor, Troyce Hernandez, was arrested this week, accused of raping a young woman nearly 20 years ago.

An arrest affidavit states the woman was 18 at the time of the alleged sexual abuse. Now, 34, she filed a complaint with the Irving Criminal Justice Center on March 24 this year.

According to the affidavit, the woman said Hernandez raped her in January 2010. The court document said she made a “delayed outcry that she was sexually assaulted multiple times by Hernandez.”

The woman told police she and her family were living with Hernandez at the time as he volunteered to help her “move forward with her faith and desire to do more for God within the church.”

According to the woman accusing Hernandez, he entered her room, undressed her, and then forced himself on her.

…

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Authorities say at least two victims have been identified, but investigators believe there could be more.

New details are emerging in a child abuse investigation in Richland County that investigators say involves a husband and wife.

Authorities say 50-year-old Rodney Gibson is facing multiple charges, including criminal sexual conduct with a minor. His wife, Kawiana Young, a daycare operator, is charged with unlawful conduct toward a minor.

According to an incident report, the case centers on allegations from a teen who told a deputy she was sexually and physically abused while living in a foster home. The report states the alleged abuse began in 2023, when the victim was 15 years old, and continued until it was reported in March 2026.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the investigation began after a school resource officer received information and reported it to authorities.

“Well, it initially started with an SRO finding out…

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Federal court records show a Midlands pastor arrested last week on sexual abuse charges involving an underage girl was out on parole on federal gun and drug charges at the time of his arrest.

Rodney Gibson and his wife, Kawiana Young, both 50, are charged in the most recent case in Richland County.

READ MORE: Sheriff: Richland County pastor, wife arrested in child abuse case

According to online records, in 2009, Gibson was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison on those federal charges, but was released in 2021, when President Trump commuted his sentence.

He was described as a “model inmate” for more than 11 years in custody.

Gibson has been on supervised release ever since and has requested it be terminated early.

Richland County deputies arrested the pastor of Pathway 2 Hope Ministries and his wife on April 1, after he was…

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Crossroads Church leaders released an update Thursday following an investigation into its founder and senior pastor, who was accused of inappropriate behavior.

Brian Tome was suspended in late February after a former member accused Tome of ”inappropriate physical humor” during a video shoot in late 2015.

The investigation determined that the accusations levied against Tome were substantiated, and he will be placed on a one-month suspension, followed by a four-month extended leave, during which he will “take part in appropriate steps of repentance and reconciliation.”

“I ask your forgiveness for too often allowing my flesh to overrule the Spirit in how I’ve used my words. God is doing a good and yet painful thing in me. I’m thankful for our Board serving tirelessly in a way that is making me and our entire church healthier,” Brian Tome said in a statement.

The church said that while it cannot go into…

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The Brief

• A Pasco County pastor and former sheriff’s deputy is facing multiple felony charges involving alleged abuse of four children.
• Investigators say incidents date back to 2021, with at least one victim under the age of 12.
• The case is ongoing, and authorities say the victims are safe and receiving support.

A Pasco County pastor and former deputy was arrested on multiple charges of lewd and lascivious behavior and molestation involving minors, according to the sheriff’s office.

The backstory:

Officials say 56-year-old Angelo Musicaro is accused of molestation/fondling a victim of less than 12 years of age. PSO says they investigated reports of Musicaro being inappropriate with four juvenile victims on various occasions between 2021 and 2026.

Court affidavits describe similar patterns of abuse, and investigators say forensic specialists confirmed evidence consistent with sexual abuse.

Musicaro is currently facing at least four felony charges,…

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A Peruvian bishop stepped down from his role as secretary general of the Peruvian bishops’ conference after a Spanish Catholic news site published a complaint against him detailing accusations of alleged sexual and psychological abuse. 

In a statement posted April 9 on X, the bishops’ conference said that in light of the report published by InfoVaticana, Bishop Antonio Santasiero Rosa of Huacho requested to step aside from his role “as an act of responsibility with the institutional mission in order to dedicate himself to clarifying the truth.” He said he “categorically” denies the allegations.

‘Efforts to clarify accusations’

The Peruvian bishops’ conference “is making all necessary efforts to clarify the accusations, acting in accordance with established protocols and current legislation, both canonical and civil,” the statement read.

According to InfoVaticana, the complaint against Bishop Santasiero, which the media said was forwarded to Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri,…

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The Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik has installed mosaics across the Roman Catholic world, including at the Vatican. After nuns accused him of abuse, some want his work removed.

In more than 210 churches across four continents, thousands of Roman Catholics worship every Sunday beside colorful mosaics designed by a Slovenian theologian and artist, the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik.

For decades, Father Rupnik’s distinctive mosaics won legions of admirers — until, about three and a half years ago, allegations emerged that he had sexually, spiritually and psychologically abused nuns. How many victims he is alleged to have abused is unclear, but a spokesman for the Jesuit religious order said it had contacted 20 people about reparations, including some witnesses.

Now, some of those women want his mosaics taken down. One wants them accompanied by labels that note the accusations. Most churches have yet to comply, a few have already covered them…

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The Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith has reportedly closed its investigation into a Spanish bishop who was accused of sexual abuse because it could not determine whether the victim was underage at the time of the alleged abuse.

According to reports in El País and the Spanish Catholic website Religion Digital the dicastery has closed the investigation because the Code of Canon Law in force at the time the abuse is alleged to have taken place – the 1990s – means that only cases involving a victim under the age of 16 constitute a crime.

The complainant alleges that the abuse began when he was 14, and continued until he was 21, when Bishop Emeritus Rafael Zornoza of Cádiz and Ceuta – the accused – was rector of a seminary in Getafe.

After being informed by El País of the dicastery’s decision which was reportedly made weeks ago, the complainant, a former seminarian, said he…

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Bishop Antonio Santarsiero OSJ has temporarily stepped down from his position while an investigation is conducted.

The Peruvian bishops’ conference announced Apr. 9 that its secretary general, Bishop Antonio Santarsiero OSJ, has temporarily stepped down from his position while an investigation is conducted following the emergence of abuse allegations against him.

The conference said in a statement that it “is making every necessary effort to clarify the complaint, acting according to the established protocols and civil and canonical legislation in force.”

The statement also said that “possible affected persons can go to the recognized listening channels, according to the provisions of the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi.”

Spanish website InfoVaticana recently published an article accusing Santarsiero, the Italian-born 74-year-old bishop of Huacho, of sexually abusing several victims, including a minor.

The website said it had access to a notarized letter sent to the apostolic nunciature in Peru on March 31…

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Some of the child sex abuse charges against a former priest at a now-shuttered Wilmington Catholic school were dismissed earlier this year.

The ruling dismisses two charges, but several others remain against John Taggart, who is accused of repeatedly abusing a child during and after the victim’s seventh and eighth grade years at the former St. Thomas the Apostle School and rectory. Taggart was a priest there for years.

Last year, the 80-year-old was indicted on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child, two counts of dangerous crime against a child, two counts of third-degree unlawful sexual penetration, four counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse and second-degree unlawful sexual contact.

His case is now moving forward with the dangerous crime against a child charges dismissed after a local judge ruled that those charges are too old to apply and violated constitutional provisions dealing with laws written after criminal conduct occurred. 

His…

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As a single mother, she trusted the Catholic church for support raising her children. After learning that a Catholic youth minister allegedly abused her son, Renee Penton-Jones hopes for “acknowledgement, apologies and accountability.”

Renee Penton-Jones raised her son and daughter mostly as a single mother. Though she is Methodist, her ex-husband and kids were Catholic, and she relied “on the safety” of the Catholic Church for support. The Casper resident enrolled her children in Saint Anthony School and had them take part in church activities. The Christian education and physical activity her children received “meant the world” to Penton-Jones. 

Last month, Penton-Jones’ son, James Stress, told her “that there was going to be a discussion with the church” about things that had happened to him as a boy. He didn’t want to talk about it with her then. She “really had no clue” what her son’s words could mean. 

On…

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A man from Mexico said he didn’t know the priest who allegedly molested him for years was also doing the same thing to his brothers.

Rev. Theodore Gabrielli sat in the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court on Thursday listening to the man, Oscar, describe years of alleged childhood sexual abuse at the hands of the priest. Oscar was the second witness to take the stand in the case’s multi-day preliminary hearing.

Gabrielli, 62, is charged with 35 counts of forced oral copulation, sexual abuse, forcible lewd acts, aggravated sexual assault and sodomy by force that allegedly took place across multiple California counties, including in San Luis Obispo County. All of the charges are for acts allegedly committed against children under the age of 15 between 1991 and 2010.

Four alleged victims have come forward against the priest: Oscar and two of his brothers, Patricio and Felix, who…

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A former Wings of Faith resident alleges Bud and Debbie Martin isolated her from her family, moved her across several states and into Mexico, and used coercion and punishment to obtain her labor

The proprietors of a now-shuttered Southwest Missouri boarding school are facing a new lawsuit by a former student alleging trafficking across several states, coerced labor, isolation and sexualized punishment while she was underage. 

The lawsuit was filed last week in the Western District of Missouri Southern Division court by Javairia Yankowy, who says she spent four years at Wings of Faith Academy after being placed in the custody of the school’s owners, Debbie and Percy “Bud” Martin. The lawsuit alleges the couple trafficked Yankowy while running Wings of Faith, which operated alongside Agape Boarding School, another Southwest Missouri Christian boarding school that has faced extensive abuse allegations.

The Martins did not respond to requests for comment. 

According…

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Bail was set at $250,000 on Tuesday for a Tri-Cities paraeducator accused of using AI to turn images of a girl he “friended” on Facebook into sexually explicit videos and photos. Kevin R. Johnson, 54, who is also a pastor at a local church, was arrested Monday by federal agents outside Cottonwood Elementary School in Kennewick where he worked.

Tuesday afternoon he made an initial court appearance by video link from the Benton County jail, where he is being held on suspicion of possessing and dealing in child pornography. Formal charges have not been filed.

He is suspected of downloading pictures of the girl posted on Facebook and Instagram, then altering them with artificial intelligence software. The girl lives in another state, said investigators.

Deputy Prosecutor Chelsea Parker asked for the high bail amount, saying, “The state is very concerned about his employment, seemingly choosing employment that gives…

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The Archdiocese of New York late last year sought authority from its insurer to discuss settling as many as 1,700 child sex abuse claims for up to $2 billion as part of high-stakes negotiations.

The Manhattan-based Catholic institution pitched the figure to Chubb Ltd. following a proposal from lead plaintiffs’ counsel representing more than 80% of claimants who sued under the state’s Child Victims Act, according to court records filed Tuesday by the insurer’s attorneys in the New York Supreme Court, New York County.

The archdiocese didn’t think a settlement demand made by claimant lawyers in November was reasonable, its attorney Jim Murray of Blank Rome LLP said in a Dec. 1 email. But he told a Chubb attorney that a global resolution was achievable at a “substantially lower dollar amount” after the church did its own analysis.

The claimants’ proposal wasn’t disclosed in court documents.

“The analysis has convinced the Archdiocese…

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Wyoming News Now has received a statement from the Diocese of Cheyenne related to a lawsuit of alleging sexual abuse.

The lawsuit alleged that former youth minister Doug Hudson of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Casper sexually assaulted three boys during youth programs in the 1990’s.

The complaint lists both the church and diocese as defendants for failing to supervise and control Hudson and protect the plaintiffs.

RELATED: Ex-Wyoming Catholic youth minister, diocese face lawsuit over sexual assault accusations involving 3 boys

Their statement is included in full:

“The Diocese of Cheyenne has been notified of a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse in the mid-1990’s by an individual who served as a youth minister at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Casper, Wyoming.

Because this matter is now the subject of active litigation, the Diocese is not in a position to comment on the specific allegations….

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The president of the Portuguese bishops’ conference confirmed Tuesday that “significant cuts” were made to the recommendations from an independent commission for financial compensation packages to victims of clerical sexual abuse.

On Tuesday The Pillar broke the news that the Portuguese bishops’ conference voted in a February closed-door meeting to make cuts to the amounts proposed by an independent Compensation Determination Commission, which had been formed in 2024 by the bishops’ conference.

But until news reporting was published April 7 on the subject, the bishops’ conference had declined to confirm the cuts, telling The Pillar earlier this month only that “the final amounts attributed were defined in accordance with the procedural regulation, which allowed for a distinction between the technical report and the final decision” and “taking into consideration” the work of the CDC.

The independent commission was composed of seven legal experts,including two judges, along with several lawyers and university law professors.

…

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For the second year in a row, the House has approved a bill to allow victims of sexual abuse by clergy to sue the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and any other entity that knew, but failed to stop – or concealed – the abuse they suffered as children.

The legislation would also provide the victims with a two-year window to revive claims currently barred by expired time limits.

The vote was 67-to-5 along party lines, after one lawmaker after another expressed their disgust at the decades of abuse of children by trusted clergy who, in the words of one lawmaker, Rep. Teresa Tanzi, had been told were their mortal “connection to God.”

The legislation sponsored by Rep. Carol McEntee reflects one of several legislative actions that Attorney General Peter Neronha recommended in his scathing report on the sexual molestation of more than 300 Rhode Island children by at…

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Rhode Island lawmakers’ vote today on a bill allowing victims of sexual abuse by clergy to sue the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence will put the spotlight back on the updated list of credibly accused priests in a recent report by Attorney Gen. Peter Neronha.

The House is scheduled to vote on Tuesday, April 7, on the bill to allow the victims to file suits seeking damages from the Diocese – and any other entity that knew and failed to stop sexual abuse they suffered as children. The legislation would also provide the victims with a two-year window to revive claims currently barred by expired time limits.

The total list of credibly accused clergy is 75 names long, with 14 still living. The previously released list by the diocese was 55 names long.

What does credibly accused mean? “[A]n allegation of Sexual Misconduct Perpetrated Against a Child where there is a reasonable basis to believe…

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Two decades of accountability are transforming the Church

Accountability. Consistency. Compassion. These three words represent an untold story of the Catholic Church’s response to child abuse in the last two decades. It’s getting results and healing hearts.

It’s a story revealed, not only in data but in programs using compassion and education as a way to carry out two of Christ’s most important missions: protecting children and meeting the deepest needs of people.

Culture of prevention

It has been more than 20 years since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) first presented the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The document created standards for how sexual abuse allegations involving minors and priests or deacons should be handled across the country.

Adopted in 2002, the document has served as a guide since then for change and accountability. With three previous updates and a fourth review underway this…

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Brendon Earl Gallant served in more than a dozen parishes before retiring in 2018

WARNING: This story contains disturbing descriptions of child sex abuse. Resources and supports for anyone who has experienced sexual violence can be found at the bottom of this story.

A retired Catholic priest in Prince Edward Island who pleaded guilty last year to sexually abusing a child in the late 1980s at St. Margarets Parish has been sentenced to five years in a federal prison.

Brendon Earl Gallant, 80, was sentenced Tuesday in provincial court in Charlottetown. He pleaded guilty last summer to a charge of sexual assault.

• Retired P.E.I. priest pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 12-year-old boy in 1980s
• Retired P.E.I. Catholic priest again scheduled to be sentenced for 1980s sexual abuse

The court heard the victim was 12 years old when Gallant took an interest in…

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A former P.E.I. Roman Catholic priest who sexually abused an altar boy in the late 1980s has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Brendon Earl Gallant, 80, appeared in provincial court in Charlottetown on April 7 for sentencing. The five-year prison sentence was a joint recommendation from Crown attorney John Diamond and defence lawyer Chris Montigny that was accepted by Judge Nancy Orr.

Gallant previously pleaded guilty to the sexual assault charge on Aug. 21, 2025, in provincial court in Georgetown. A publication ban is in place preventing the release of information that could identify the male victim.

Agreed statement of facts

According to an agreed statement of facts previously read in court, the victim reported the historic sexual abuse by Gallant to the RCMP on March 3, 2023. The police investigation revealed that Gallant was assigned to St. Margaret’s parish in Kings County and met the victim in…

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The Time’s Up Act, passed during the “Me Too” movement, allows victims to file civil lawsuits until their 51st birthday – but that only applies to abuse that occurred after Oct. 1, 2019.

Sexual abuse survivors shared heart-wrenching stories at the state Capitol on Tuesday.

Victims are pushing for more time to sue their abusers, but the effort faces an uphill battle.

STORIES OF ABUSE

As a child, Janet Orsatti-Duffany suffered years of sexual abuse. As an adult, it took her decades to report it.

“I didn’t know what he was doing to me was wrong,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was 43 that these memories came crashing through.”

Orsatti-Duffany and other survivors want Connecticut to eliminate the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits. They also want a three-year “lookback” window for cases that have already expired.

“I had a repressed memory, and I didn’t remember until…

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A local pastor has been arrested and charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child after two women came forward against him.

On April 3, 2026, Pastor Ryan Pena, who had previously been associated with the Church of Acts, was arrested and charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child after investigators in California reached out to the San Antonio Police Department.

According to arrest records from Bexar County, the two victims, now adults, are family members of Pena. The victims told investigators they had been brutally assaulted as far back as 2008.

Both victims recalled graphic descriptions of abuse that started when they were as young as 6 to 8 years old, all the way until the victims were in their late teens.

The victims both reported that they had previously disclosed the incidents to family members but did not contact police at the time because they were trying…

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A St. Thomas pastor and youth leader who was arrested last February on sexual assault of a female minor is now facing federal charges in connection with transporting her for sexual activity.

U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper announced that Lawrence Turnbull, 65, of Estate Mandahl, was charged in connection with the alleged abuse of a minor he supervised through his role in the church.

Court documents allege Turnbull “transported the minor to different locations” on multiple occasions and “touched the minor inappropriately,” according to a statement released Friday by Sleeper’s office.

He faces charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, coercion and enticement, unlawful sexual contact and child abuse. Prosecutors said the most serious charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison if convicted.

No other details were available but a V.I. Police statement last year noted…

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The Rhode Island House of Representatives on Tuesday approved three attorney general-backed bills that would open the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and other institutions to lawsuits and require additional reporting in sexual abuse cases.

The measures, sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Judiciary, now head to the Senate, where the tougher test awaits after similar reform stalled last year.

“Give the survivors a chance for justice,” McEntee, whose sister is a survivor of clergy abuse, said when introducing the legislation on the House floor. “There needs to be transparency and accountability.”

The first bill approved by lawmakers would open a “revival window” allowing previously expired claims against institutions and supervisors responsible for enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The window would open on July 1, 2026, and close on June 30, 2028.

McEntee’s proposal builds on the…

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The bishops’ conference voted to significantly cut the amounts recommended by an independent commission.

After an independent body of specialists recommended financial compensation packages to victims of clerical sexual abuse, the Portuguese bishops’ conference has voted to significantly cut the recommended amounts before offering the packages to victims.

While compensation offers to victim-survivors are individually approved by the local diocesan bishops, the Portuguese bishops voted as a conference in February to apply a uniform percentage cut to compensation packages recommended by an independent panel — with the cuts believed to be as high as 50 percent.

After an independent commission’s 2023 report on clerical sexual abuse, Portuguese victims of clerical sexual abuse were in 2024 invited to present their cases to a panel of abuse experts, and to apply for financial compensation. The process applied to cases which could no longer be prosecuted in civil courts because of the statute…

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The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy nearly three years ago amid a large number of allegations of sexual abuse.

An insurer for the Archdiocese of Baltimore has offered to contribute $100 million to a settlement for abuse victims there, the latest development in the archdiocese’s yearslong bankruptcy proceedings related to Church sexual abuse.

Court documents obtained by EWTN News show that the Hartford Insurance Group proposed the nine-figure payment in an April 3 filing in U.S. bankruptcy court.

The archdiocese originally filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 amid the threat of a wave of clerical abuse lawsuits. The filing was made ahead of the Maryland Child Victims Act taking effect in October of that year. That law ended the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits for negligence in relation to child sexual abuse.

The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2024 the archdiocese sued multiple insurers over what…

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[To watch a video of this conversation, click here and forward the video to the 1:06 mark — that is, one hour and six minutes from the beginning.]

Boston Public Radio, The Curiosity Desk, & The Culture Show Live Monday April 6, 2026

Today on Boston Public Radio: Ricardo Pierre-Louis and Rose Staram, about their luck getting city contracts. MIT economist Jon Gruber on the long-term economic impacts of a War in Iran. Mitchell Garabedian, renowned Catholic Sex scandal victims’ attorney and advocate, joins with a survivor of the Catholic Sex Scandal, Dr. Herbert Brennan, to discuss a new report out of Rhode Island. GBH’s Jared Bowen on arts and culture news. 

Today on The Curiosity Desk: Boston influencer Maddie GW and creator economy expert Lia Haberman pull back the curtain on how creators make a living. Edgar talks with Nina Sankovitch about her book on America’s most…

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[To watch a video of the conversation, click here.]

In this episode, Amber sits down with attorney Mitchell Garabedian, known for his role in exposing clergy abuse cases highlighted in the movie ‘Spotlight.’ He shares what he’s seen representing thousands of survivors, why many wait decades to come forward, and how these cases are still happening today.

This is a difficult but important conversation about trauma, accountability, and the power structures that allow abuse to continue — and what’s changing as more survivors speak out.

Viewer discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, there are resources available – reach out for help.

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In Australia government funded and supported institutions, and their clergy bound by doctrine and oaths of allegiance to a foreign Vatican sovereign daily act with impunity to pervert justice, minimise and cloak rape in eternal secrecy, prioritizing papal loyalty over truth, victims and national law.

This is a massive question for me and not easy to answer in a short space.

Q: “As a survivor, theologian, SNAP Aotearoa leader, and contributor to New Zealand’s Royal Commission into Abuse in Care (and recipient of the King’s Service Order), could you share the key parts of your life story and advocacy journey?”

This is a massive question for me and not easy to answer in a short space.

I am a survivor, a theologian, and an advocate – whose life is shaped by experience, conviction, and a commitment to justice.

My journey begins not in theory, but in lived reality. As a survivor…

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Social media priests attract many while sidestepping abuse, poverty and injustice

It is an increasingly familiar sight on Indonesian social media: Catholic priests in cassocks or wearing crosses looking confidently into the camera and beginning to speak.

They talk about the truth of the Catholic faith, arguments against atheism, Church law on marriage and the Virgin Mary — in short, why these teachings are valid, even superior to others.

Some, like Father Patris Allegro of the Archdiocese of Kupang, who has more than 90,000 Facebook followers, focus heavily on differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. His remarks often question Protestant teachings, sparking backlash from Protestant groups.

The content is meticulously produced, packaged in a smooth narrative, uploaded regularly and enthusiastically received by thousands of followers hungry for spiritual guidance — some with rigid, even fanatical, views. These followers are also quick to attack comments that question or criticize…

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A SPANISH priest jailed over child sexual abuse has continued to receive a salary from the Church who ‘believe he is innocent’, according to documentation seen by EL PAIS.

ose Luis Galan was arrested in 2021 for abusing a teenager between 2011 and 2014, while he was spiritual director at Toledo’s Hijos de Maria Nuestra Señora de Talavera de la Reina school.

Galan, a priest, had met the minor during a school trip on the Camino de Santiago in 2010 and then, a year later, was appointed as her spiritual director and came to be seen as the teenager’s ‘second father’.

The sixteen-year-old’s mother advised that her daughter sought guidance from Galan and so the student began to meet the priest two times a week in his parish office in San Ildefonso church. 

It was here that he repeatedly assaulted her sexually, physically and psychologically for three years. 

Two years…

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A Pasco County pastor, who once served as a local deputy, has been arrested on multiple allegations of molestation, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office told 8 On Your Side that they had investigated reports of 56-year-old Angelo Musicaro, pastor of Worship-Life Church in New Port Richey, “being inappropriate” with four children on multiple occasions between 2021 and 2026.

Unsealed criminal complaints revealed some details of the allegations.

In one case, a child victim told an investigator that she frequently visited Musicaro’s house between 2021 and 2025. The alleged victim said he touched her inappropriately underneath her clothing on five separate incidents, according to a criminal complaint.

“Subsequent to your affiant’s investigation, a forensic interview was conducted with the juvenile victim,” the affidavit said. “The forensic specialist conducting the aforementioned interview confirmed positive findings of sexual abuse for this victim and several other…

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Deputies say both had proximity to other children and are asking anyone with information about potential additional victims to come forward.

A local pastor and his wife, a daycare operator, have been arrested in connection with alleged crimes against children, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies said Rodney Gibson, 50, and Kawiana Young, 50, were taken into custody following an investigation that began March 12, 2026, after a victim reported sexual abuse while in foster care at their home.

Investigators said the victim reported that Gibson sexually assaulted her numerous times beginning at age 15 and continuing until she aged out of foster care as an adult.

During the investigation, deputies learned that a minor child was currently living in the home. Authorities said they also uncovered allegations of physical abuse by Young against that child.

The child was first taken into Emergency Protective Custody on March 18….

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Francesco Zanardi was 11 years old when a Catholic priest in northern Italy started sexually abusing him, an ordeal which lasted for more than five years. As an adult, Zanardi founded Rete L’Abuso, a network exposing clerical abuse and demanding accountability from the Church. But despite his campaigning, highlighting over 1,250 alleged cases and more than 1,000 accused priests, the Catholic Church in Italy remains immune from legal accountability. As Zanardi has explained, ‘The Church hasn’t referred a single case to judicial authorities in Italy. On the contrary, the Bishops’ Conference [i.e. the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the permanent union of Italian bishops] has expressly stated that cases filed via Church complaint centres will not be referred to the judicial authorities.’ Indeed, such cases are handled by the Church itself, and the Bishops’ Conference has stated that there is no legal obligation in Italy to report suspected cases.

In rejecting any obligation…

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Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Heidi Evensen said she was exploited by adults who took explicit photos and sexually abused her.

Years of physical and mental abuse took their toll on Evensen, and she felt invisible.

Until one day, when Evensen was 9 years old, one of her abusers approached her, looked Evensen in the eyes and actually talked with her. She still is not sure to this day why.

“It was one of the worst times of my life, … (but) she squatted down, and she said, ‘I see you,’” Evensen said. “… And if you think those three words are not enough for a child that you see in harm’s way, even if you don’t know what to do, you can say those three words. You can say, ‘I see you,’ and you can follow it up with, ‘Is there anything I can do to help you?’ ……

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Countries would be well advised to follow Australian legislation to overcome deficiencies in canon law

The child sexual abuse scandal has been described as the worst crisis that the Catholic Church has had to face since the Reformation.

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, in its 2017 Final Report, found that canon law imposed serious impediments to a proper response by the Church to the sexual abuse of children. It recommended changes to the canonical disciplinary system. Some of those, such as the abolition of the pontifical secret over child sexual abuse, have been adopted.  

However, there are still outstanding matters. One is the refusal of the Church to impose mandatory reporting to the civil authorities unless there is an applicable civil reporting law. In 2014, the United Nations Committee for the Rights of the Child View Cache

A former priest said the church failed to investigate after he reported he was sexually harassed by a senior priest more than a decade prior. 

Jonathan Ficara detailed the incident and the aftermath in a public letter to Pope Leo XIV, which was published by the National Catholic Reporter on March 25. 

In the letter, Ficara asks for a series of safeguards to protect victims of sexual abuse, including education on reporting mechanisms, mandatory documentation, transparency and protections against retaliation. 

He submitted an abuse claim against the Diocese of Norwich in 2025

Ficara also filed documents with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut that chronicled the abuse, the Diocese’s lack of action and his attempts of resolution for more than a decade. 

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 after facing upward of 60 sexual…

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Allegations against the former Colton High athletic trainer and daughter of legendary coach stem from encounters in 2001 to 2007

Colton Joint Unified School District has paid $19.5 million to settle lawsuits by 12 former Colton High football players who alleged they were sexually abused by the school’s former athletic trainer, the daughter of the team’s renowned football coach.

The Southern California News Group learned just recently of the settlements even though the high-profile litigation was quietly resolved from June through August 2025. According to the settlement agreements obtained by SCNG, each plaintiff received $600,000 to $2.4 million.

Attorney Morgan Stewart, who represented nine of the 12 plaintiffs, did not explain why the settlements were not publicly disclosed earlier, except to say the final defendant in the litigation, Riverside-based Clover Enterprises Inc., did not settle until February. Clover is the sports medicine service that contracted with the district to provide…

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Prosecutors say Anthony Odiong exploited his parishioners’ emotional dependency to engage in sexual conduct with them

A Roman Catholic priest with ties to Texas and south-east Louisiana and criminally charged with abusing his position as a clergyman to pursue sex with three spiritually vulnerable female congregants faces being taken to trial on all of those cases at once.

The Texas district attorney’s office prosecuting Anthony Odiong filed a motion seeking to consolidate the three cases in late March, ahead of a trial date that the Guardian understands has tentatively been set for 4 May. Prepared by McLennan county first assistant district attorney Ryan Calvert, the motion notes that Texas state law allows “a defendant [to] be prosecuted in a single criminal action” if the crimes alleged “are connected or … are the repeated commission of the same or similar offenses”.

And Calvert’s motion maintains that each of the three cases pending against Odiong involves…

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The child sexual abuse scandal has been described as the worst crisis that the Catholic Church has had to face since the Reformation.

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, in its 2017 Final Report, found that canon law imposed serious impediments to a proper response by the Church to the sexual abuse of children. It recommended changes to the canonical disciplinary system. Some of those, such as the abolition of the pontifical secret over child sexual abuse, have been adopted.  

However, there are still outstanding matters. One is the refusal of the Church to impose mandatory reporting to the civil authorities unless there is an applicable civil reporting law. In 2014, the United Nations Committee for the Rights of the Child criticized this failure.  

In 2023, the Holy See imposed mandatory reporting to the…

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Gareth Gore’s 2024 book Opus alleges decades of manipulation, which the group has denied. He believes the pope wanted to send a clear message

Gareth Gore was on a research trip to California earlier this year when he was told to expect a call from the Vatican arranging a one-on-one audience with the pope.

Gore was stunned. In 2024 he published the book Opus, a meticulously researched and gripping account of the abuses allegedly perpetrated by Opus Dei, the highly secretive Catholic group started by the Spanish priest Josemaría Escrivá in the 1920s. Over a century Opus Dei established itself as a deeply religious order that, they claim, helps ordinary people “love God and serve others through work well done, carried out with honesty and integrity”.

Gore’s book lays out claims the organisation is at the heart of a conspiracy involving child grooming, human trafficking, and psychological and emotional control,…

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[See also the lawsuit.]

A Palm Beach County family has sued Rosarian Academy and Alpha Transportation Services, alleging the school and its private bus contractor failed to properly supervise young students and protect an 8-year-old boy from repeated sexual victimization by another first-grade student during the 2024-25 school year.

According to the complaint, the alleged sexually inappropriate incidents occurred on school buses used to transport Rosarian students.

The lawsuit, filed March 27 in the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, says the child’s parents reported the alleged abuse to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Rosarian Academy after learning what had happened.

The complaint claims the abuse went undetected for months because of inadequate supervision on the buses, including the alleged lack of a bus aide, failure to monitor…

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Thursday marked the final day of victim impact statements in the federal bankruptcy case against the Diocese of Buffalo.

Originally set to run over four sessions in court, it was decided to extend the number of sessions to six to make sure all of the victims who wanted to speak to the court had the opportunity to do so.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection back in 2020 regarding the claims of abuse, so emotions were high with some of those who spoke throughout these sessions.

Many victims continued to criticize the diocese for allowing this alleged abuse to go on for far too long under the order of former Bishop Richard Malone, and also criticizing the diocese and current Bishop Michael Fisher for not doing enough now during this process to support the victims. 

These statement sessions have been part of a settlement agreement, so now it isn’t a matter of if the diocese will pay the victims but rather a matter of when…

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The Buffalo Catholic Diocese is revising how much it’s asking for from its parishes to help pay for the $150 million settlement that it agreed to pay last year to settle over 800 claims of sexual abuse.

In a letter to diocesan priests this week, Bishop Michael Fisher said the diocese is eliminating the 80 percent contribution expectation for merging parishes and increasing the diocese’s contribution from $30 million to $40 million.

A parish’s requested contribution will now will be based on their total available cash – after consolidating the balances of the two (or more) merged parishes – as well as for the parishes not merging.

Back in June, the diocese had asked parishes to contribute a total of $80 million toward the settlement. Contributions from parishes were to range from 10 to 80 percent based on a “progressive percentage” of each parish’s self-reported and unrestricted assets as of August…

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A Florida lawsuit over sexual abuse claims against a Dubuque priest has been delayed again despite the priest’s death.

A Florida judge this week granted a motion to continue the civil trial against Rev. Leo Riley and the Catholic Church Diocese of Venice. Attorneys argued over the production of documents and how the case will proceed after Riley died in December 2025.

Riley has been accused of abusing multiple children in both Iowa and Florida. A criminal case against him in Iowa was dismissed citing statute of limitations. Riley had served in the Dubuque area in the 1980s before being transferred to Florida. A John Doe plantiff filed the current lawsuit in 2020 claiming Riley had abused him as a child in Florida.

In court last week, the plaintiff’s attorney, Damian Mallard, asked the judge to compel what he described as a complete production of records.

“What I’m asking for, Your…

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It’s been nearly 14 months since Cardinal Joseph Tobin announced a “comprehensive third-party review” of a 2019 investigation into sexual abuse at Seton Hall University that implicated its new president.

It’s essentially an investigation of an investigation.

But this one is taking longer than the original. The Archdiocese of Newark, to which Seton Hall belongs and which Tobin oversees, won’t say what’s going on. It all bothers Sen. Joseph Vitale, the chair of the upper chamber’s health committee who has focused heavily on sexual abuse and been one of the more vocal critics of Seton Hall.   

“If these internal investigations and reports are not made public, I am prepared to request a formal Senate hearing with subpoena power,” he told me. “Hiding suspicions of sex crimes places children and adults at ongoing risk.”

For those who don’t remember, Seton Hall announced an investigation in August 2018 into sexual abuse allegations…

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A priest was arrested on Thursday in Dombivali in Thane district for allegedly sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl, a police official said.

The Tilaknagar police station official identified the accused as Harish Bhave, who visits homes to perform rituals.

“Bhave is known to the victim’s family. When the minor’s parents had stepped out for work, he allegedly entered the house and sexually assaulted the girl. He was arrested after the child narrated the ordeal to her parents, who lodged a complaint,” he said.

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The Brief

• • A pastor in Southwest Florida is accused of sending and receiving child pornography.
  • Investigators are seeking information from any potential victims.
  • Pastor Robert Glossenger was arrested and charged with three counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of transmission of child pornography.

Law enforcement officials in Southwest Florida are seeking information from potential victims after they say a pastor was found with child pornography.

What we know:

Detectives with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children said they received a cybertip about child pornography coming from a home in Lee County.

Through analytical research, detectives said they identified the suspect as an Alva resident and executed a search warrant on a home on Apple Blossom Drive.

According to detectives, the suspect, Pastor Robert Glossenger, said he would receive and send child pornography while chatting…

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Former Nampa pastor Matthew Masiewicz was sentenced to up to 17 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to charges related to child pornography.

Canyon County District Court Judge Thomas Whitney sentenced Masiewicz to a unified 17-year prison term, with five years fixed and 12 years indeterminate. Masiewicz will serve the sentence in the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction.

“Your actions have caused great grief and pain and embarrassment to your family and those you’ve worked with,” Whitney said.

Masiewicz, formerly a pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship, previously pleaded guilty to four felony counts related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Nine other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Prosecutors said investigators found multiple images and videos of minors on a laptop at the church where Masiewicz worked, showing children as young as 5. They said he sent those images to…

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The 53-year-old man was sentenced to prison for distributing and possessing child sexually exploitative material after pleading guilty to four felony counts.

A former Nampa pastor was sentenced to prison on Thursday for distribution and possession of child sexually exploitative material. 

Matthew Masiewicz’s plea deal was accepted on Thursday by Canyon County 3rd District Judge Brent Whiting, according to online court records. Under the agreement, Masiewicz, 53, was convicted on three counts for distribution of child sexually exploitative material and one count for possession or access. All other charges were dismissed.

Masiewicz was originally charged with 13 felony counts, including multiple counts of knowingly distributing child sexually exploitative material, willfully possessing or accessing child sexually exploitative material, and one count related to visual representations of the sexual abuse of a minor. 

He entered not guilty pleas to all charges during a court appearance on Nov. 12 last year.

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