How Could You? Hall of Shame-Reverend Joseph Maurizio Jr.UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions

From Johnstown,Pennsylvania, in 2014, “details of child sexual abuse that led to charges against a Roman Catholic priest on Thursday were reported to his Pennsylvania diocese nearly five years ago, court records show, but the church authorities did not remove him as a pastor.

The priest, the Rev. Joseph D. Maurizio Jr., was charged in federal court in Johnstown, Pa., with possessing child pornography and engaging in illicit sexual conduct on trips he made to a boys’ orphanage in Central America. Father Maurizio visited the orphanage over a decade until 2009, when a Virginia-based charity that runs the home uncovered accusations of abuse by “Father Joe,” and passed them on to the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, according to a criminal complaint and the group.

Father Maurizio, however, remained as pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels in Central City, Pa., east of Pittsburgh, until this month, when he was placed on leave after federal agents raided his parish home and his chapel, carting off computers, a hard drive and other electronics. The diocese said in a statement after his arrest that it was “profoundly disturbed by the allegations.”

“An activist who runs a priest-abuse website that learned of the accusations months before the arrest accused Bishop Mark L. Bartchak and his predecessor, Bishop Joseph V. Adamec, of looking the other way for years. “Their total lack of interest is so disturbing,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org.

The Roman Catholic Church’s long-running abuse scandal led to the arrest this week of a former papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Pope Francis has set a new tone of not looking away from sex crimes by clergy members against children.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is reviewing the case of the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church to be convicted in connection with the sexual abuse of children, Msgr. William J. Lynn of Philadelphia, whose 2012 conviction was overturned last year.

Father Maurizio, 69, made annual visits to Honduras, Nicaragua and other Central American countries to help homeless children, according to newsletters of a charity he ran. Investigators said he also had another purpose: sexual tourism.

Young men and boys interviewed in El Progreso, Honduras, by an agent of the Department of Homeland Security this year told of a decade-long pattern of abuse by Father Maurizio, according to the criminal complaint. One male witness said the priest tried to photograph him naked in a bath and later offered him money to masturbate. Another witness said the priest pulled down his pants in a chapel when he was 14, and the two had sex after which the priest gave him chocolates. A third witness described seeing Father Maurizio grope an underage boy in a pickup truck.

More than four years earlier, these and other accounts had first reached the American charity that sponsored the orphanage, Fundación ProNiño, a residence for homeless boys 6 to 18. Board members from the group, ProNino USA, based in Richmond, Va., went to Pennsylvania to confront Father Maurizio.

The priest denied the accusations, court records state, and he threatened the group, saying that he would withhold money from their orphanage as he tried to dissuade its chairwoman from reporting him. The complaints were passed to the bishop anyway, in November 2009, as well as to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania attorney general.

Father Maurizio stopped making trips to Central America for nearly two years, according to the complaint. But since July 2011, he has gone on 10 trips to countries including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti and Nicaragua.

In a newsletter about his charity, Humanitarian Interfaith Ministries, Father Maurizio reported that he was expanding to orphanages in South America. The summer 2012 newsletter said Father Maurizio’s charity had received its major support for 15 years from the Pennsylvania Knights of Columbus, the lay Catholic organization, for which he said he was a former chaplain.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the priest’s diocese told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that it was unaware of Father Maurizio’s charity, though he boasted in newsletters of taking volunteers on mission trips.

Out of frustration that the authorities were ignoring Father Maurizio, ProNino USA contacted BishopAccountability.org, which tracks accusations of child sexual abuse against Catholic clergy members. It alerted a lawyer with ties to the Department of Justice and shared documents with the Department of Homeland Security, whose agents in Pittsburgh began investigating, Ms. Barrett Doyle said.

Father Maurizio, who appeared briefly in court on Thursday, remains in custody pending a detention hearing on Monday.”

Pennsylvania Priest Accused of Abuse Was Reported 5 Years Ago, Records Show[NY Times 9/27/14 by Trip Gabriel]

“A Somerset County Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing an orphaned boy in Honduras in 2009 will not be released from jail to await trial, a federal judge in Johnstown ruled Friday.

Judge Kim Gibson reversed a decision last week by U.S. Magistrate Keith Pesto that permitted the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr., 69, to await trial under home detention at his farm in Windber. Gibson ruled after hearing a federal agent testify Friday that investigators may have located two more alleged molestation victims in Honduras.

Maurizio is charged with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. A federal indictment accuses Maurizio of traveling to Honduras between Feb. 26 and March 13, 2009, to have sex with an underage boy.

Maurizio has pleaded not guilty. He has been held in the Cambria County Jail since Sept. 24.

The U.S. Attorney’s office was granted a stay following Pesto’s ruling Nov. 6, delaying Maurizio’s release so it could appeal.

Gibson heard testimony presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Haines that Maurizio is a danger to the community and a flight risk.

Maurizio was suspended as a priest at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Central City after his arrest in September.

Gibson heard testimony from two witnesses called by Haines who argued Maurizio is a danger to the community because the allegations involve children and is a risk to flee the country because he has access to large amounts of cash in bank accounts.

Homeland Security Agent Jason Adams testified that during a followup trip to Honduras the first week of November, agents discovered two more males who claim they were molested by Maurizio when they were between 12 and 16 years old.

“They disclosed sexual abuse by Joseph Maurizio that described acts similar to previous claims,” Adams said.

Under questioning by Haines, Adams said Maurizio could face additional complaints.

In addition, Adams described several photographs that he termed “child erotica” that agents discovered as they sifted through thousands of images taken by Maurizio during mission trips to Central America last summer.

Maurizio’s attorney, Steven Passarello of Altoona, argued that no additional criminal charges have been filed against Maurizio. He noted the priest was subjected to other allegations investigated by the FBI in 2009 that resulted in no charges.

“… This court now finds by clear and convincing evidence that the order of pretrial release should be reversed and the defendant should be detained pending trial …,” Gibson wrote in the ruling.

Gibson said a report prepared by the federal pretrial services office noted Maurizio “poses a risk of danger for the following reasons: … offense charges the defendant with a pattern of hands-on sexual abuse outside of the U.S., the charges involve a child, the charge involves a sex offense-abuse.”

The judge also noted the potential for new charges related to the alleged additional victims recently interviewed by Homeland Security agents.

“Likewise, Special Agent Adams testified that authorities in Honduras are actively involved in the ongoing investigation and have issued an arrest warrant for (Maurizio),” Gibson wrote.

During his argument, Passarello noted that Honduran officials have not yet asked the United States to extradite the priest.

Federal officials said the priest, under the guise of doing relief work through a self-run charity based in Johnstown, Humanitarian Interfaith Ministries, visited an orphanage numerous times between 1999 and 2009, promising candy and cash to boys to watch them shower, have sex or fondle them.

The indictment also alleges Maurizio had at least one image of child pornography in his possession on Sept. 12, the day federal agents executed search warrants at his Windber home and the parish rectory.

Haines repeatedly argued Maurizio should be detained until trial. She presented prior testimony from Homeland Security Agent David Coleman last week that one of the two new alleged victims, who is now in his 20s, identified Maurizio by a photograph.

Passarello has repeatedly maintained his client’s innocence.

“If Father Maurizio is such a flight risk, why wouldn’t he have fled before when the complaints first arose?” Passarello asked Gibson.

“The U.S. talks about the nature of these charges, and they are certainly reprehensible. But to be falsely accused of these crimes is just as reprehensible,” Passarello said.

Gibson also noted in his 11-page opinion that Maurizio initially failed to disclose all his assets to federal officials when he was initially questioned in September. Gibson said at that time Maurizio placed his net worth at approximately $107,900, “which is far less than defendant’s actual net worth of approximately $1 million.”

“The fact that the government’s investigation uncovered substantial assets and sources of income much greater than those disclosed by the defendant weights heavily in favor of detention,” Gibson wrote.

Passarello said he may appeal Gibson’s decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, but he will discuss the ruling with family members first.

Pesto had ruled that Maurizio could await trial on home detention, under electronic monitoring, if his personal bank accounts were frozen and he is blocked from accessing multiple church accounts.

Maurizio surrendered his passport to authorities following his arrest, according to his attorney.”

Somerset priest charged in Honduras child-sex case won’t be freed

[Trib Live 11/14/14 by Paul Peirce]

“A Roman Catholic priest accused of traveling to Honduras to molest street children during missionary trips was convicted on Tuesday of several charges.

Reverend Joseph Maurizio Jr., 70, was convicted of three of four counts related to sex abuse of boys during trips to a Honduran orphanage.

Maurizio was accused of traveling abroad from 2004 to 2009 to have sex with three young boys, a charge known as sexual tourism.

He was also convicted of possession of child pornography and illegally transferring money to a charity to help fund the trips.

Jurors acquitted him of another count of traveling outside the United States for sex with a minor and two other counts involving the transfer of funds.

The priest, who has been suspended from Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Somerset County, showed no reaction as the verdict was read to the packed courtroom.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

The priest repeatedly denied the allegations. His defense attorney presented testimony suggesting that interviewers can plant ideas that lead to false accusations.

During the trial, a key witness recanted on the stand, testifying he was never molested by Maurizio as a 14-year-old boy, but prosecutors argued that another youth had witnessed the abuse.

Two other Honduran men testified that Maurizio abused them, one saying the priest offered him candy so the priest could fondle him and the other saying the priest asked to take his photo while he and another child, both about 14, were taking showers.

Defense attorney Steven Passarello said he and his client were ‘very disappointed’ but respected the jury’s decision and would be working on post-trial motions and any appeals if necessary.

Elizabeth Williams, president of ProNino USA, the nonprofit that operated the orphanage between 2002 and 2011, said the verdict was a validation of the former orphans’ accusations.

‘It sends a clear message that you can’t cross the U.S. border to molest children,’ Williams told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.”

 

Pennsylvania priest is convicted of ‘sex tourism’ after he traveled to Honduras several times to molest street children during missionary trips
[Daily Mail 9/22/15 by Associated Press]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A federal judge has delayed next week’s sentencing for a priest convicted of having sex with poor street children during missionary trips to Honduras.

The judge will hold a hearing Tuesday on whether to grant a new trial for the Rev. Joseph Maurizio instead of sentencing the 70-year-old priest that day in Johnstown, about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Maurizio, a suspended Somerset County priest, was convicted in September of charges including engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, also known as sexual tourism.

Maurizio’s attorney has filed several sealed motions and documents in the past month, so his specific claims are unclear.

But an order from US District Judge Kim Gibson setting next week’s hearing said the request for a new trial is “based upon newly discovered evidence and an alleged violation of Brady v. Maryland.”

Brady is a landmark 1963 US Supreme Court decision requiring prosecutors to turn over any evidence that could be used by a defendant to support his innocence or impeach the credibility of a prosecution witness.

 

The US Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh didn’t immediately comment Friday on the judge’s decision late Thursday to replace the priest’s sentencing with a hearing on the request for a new trial.

Defense attorney Steven Passarello said he can’t comment because the hearing stems from documents still sealed.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown suspended Maurizio after federal prosecutors filed charges in September 2014.

Prosecutors contend Maurizio used a self-run Johnstown-based charity called Humanitarian Interfaith Ministries to travel to an orphanage for several years ending in 2009. Maurizio allegedly promised candy and cash to boys to watch them shower, have sex, or fondle them.

Gibson last month dismissed a sexual tourism charge involving one boy who recanted his allegations at the priest’s trial. The boy was 14 at the time of the alleged incident. Federal prosecutors argued that the boy recanted because he was ashamed and that another boy witnessed the abuse, but Gibson threw it out for lack of evidence.

Maurizio, who las served at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Central City, also has been looking for a public relations firm to tell his version of events.

“He is desirous of getting his side of the story out because he has maintained his innocence throughout, notwithstanding the jury’s verdict, but believes he was wrongfully convicted,” Passarello said last month.

The attorney described Maurizio in a letter to public relations firms as “an American political prisoner” whose “civil rights as an American citizen have been violated by multiple international government agencies.”

Passarello had argued that the charges against the priest were trumped up and instigated by a rival charity, ProNino USA, the nonprofit that operated the orphanage when the boys were allegedly molested.

ProNino’s president, Elizabeth Williams, has said Maurizio’s conviction validated the former orphans’ accusations.”

Judge replaces priest’s sentencing with new trial hearing

[CRux 2/1/16 by Joe Mandak/AP]

“A suspended Pennsylvania priest convicted of sexually assaulting poor street children during missionary trips to Honduras was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 17 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors in Johnstown had sought up to 30 years in prison for Joseph Maurizio Jr., 71. But defense attorneys for Maurizio, who maintains his innocence, argued for leniency based on the priest’s age, charitable works, his U.S. Navy service during the Vietnam War, and other legal factors.

U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson also fined Maurizio $50,000 and ordered him to pay $10,000 in restitution each to his two victims.

“It is important to recognize the courage of the victims, the tenacity of the investigators and the resolve of the prosecutors to bring this child predator priest to justice,” U.S. Attorney Hickton said in a statement. “This sentence ensures that Joseph Maurizio will never again have the opportunity to travel beyond our nation’s borders to victimize children.”

The sentencing came a day after the Pennsylvania attorney general issued a report saying two former bishops in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese covered up, or were slow to respond to, child-sex abuse by more than 50 priests over more than 40 years, with local law enforcement officials often deferring to church officials.

According to the report, a whistleblower accused Maurizio in 2009 and the diocese conducted its own investigation, including hiring a translator to review the victim’s claims. “Documents obtained from the Diocese show a high-ranking Diocesan official concluding the alleged conduct was ‘impossible,'” the report said.

A federal jury disagreed, convicting Maurizio in September of molesting three boys, though Gibson eventually agreed to throw out one charge involving a victim who recanted at trial. Maurizio was convicted of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places — also known as sexual tourism — money laundering and possessing child pornography.

Several supporters sent letters to the court, and 13 of Maurizio’s friends, family and former parishioners testified at his sentencing, defense attorney Steven Passarello said.

“The bottom line basically is this: This man lived a life of good works for an extended period of time,” Passarello said. “We asked the court to balance that against this one instance” in which he was convicted.

But federal prosecutors contend the molestations were not merely an isolated incident.

Rather, they say Maurizio created a charity – Honduras Interfaith Ministries – funded by the community and Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, which Maurizio pastored in Central City, about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The charity paid for 13 trips to Honduras from 2004 and 2009, during which he molested the boys, prosecutors said.

Maurizio has been suspended by the diocese since his rectory was raided and he was charged by federal Homeland Security Investigations agents in September 2014.

Passarello said the priest will appeal his conviction and sentence.

“It’s potentially a life sentence,” Passarello said. “Even though we got it decreased … it’s still a lengthy sentence for someone who’s 71.””

Western Pennsylvania priest gets 17 years for molesting Honduran children [WTAE 3/2/16 by AP]