Maryland Priests Accused of Abuse

Clergy abuse, particularly child sex abuse, is an unfortunate occurrence worldwide, and Maryland is no exception; a former priest’s actions often contribute to this tragic reality, as shown by many Maryland priests accused of such acts.

Throughout Baltimore parishes and other areas of the state, church members have been abused for decades by abusive priests. More and more child sex abuse survivors of the Archdiocese of Baltimore are choosing to speak out and seek justice, and a Maryland clergy abuse lawyer from our team is here to support and advocate for victims every step of the way.

Archdiocese of Baltimore MD

Michael Lowell Barnes

• Convicted
  

Michael Lowell Barnes was accused of sexually molesting a boy between 1977 and 1982, with abuse occurring in a rectory and during out-of-state trips. He left the priesthood in 1988 and was later arrested in 2009 for abuse of a boy. Barnes was laicized in 2013. Records reflect concerns during his seminary years, multiple treatment periods, and repeated leaves of absence during his clerical service.

James Avant

• Accused
  

James Avant was accused of sexually abusing a boy and other minors in the early 1970s at St. Martin’s rectory in Baltimore. A woman reported the abuse of her son and additional boys. Avant left his religious order in 1990 and formally requested dispensation from religious life in 1995, ending his clerical affiliation with the archdiocese.

William Steven Albaugh

• Arrested
  

William Steven Albaugh was arrested after admitting to storing child sexual abuse images on thumb drives and within a Verizon Online cloud storage account. Following the admission, he was suspended from his clerical duties by the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The case involved digital possession offenses rather than allegations tied to parish ministry.

Thomas J. Bauernfeind

• Accused
  

Thomas J. Bauernfeind, a parish priest, was accused of sexually abusing a sixteen-year-old girl during the mid-1970s. He was sent to the House of Affirmation in Massachusetts for treatment but was later returned to active ministry and continued serving as a parish pastor despite the allegation.

W. Vincent Bechtel

• Accused
  

W. Vincent Bechtel was publicly identified as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on April 24, 2019. In 2018, the Diocese of Harrisburg notified Baltimore of a claim that Bechtel sexually abused a minor while assigned to Mount St. Joseph High School. Bechtel died in 1994.

Ronald Belschner

• Accused
  

Ronald Belschner was accused of sexually abusing a child during the mid-1970s. He was placed on leave of absence in 1991 after earlier restrictions in 1990 and denied the allegations. In 2023, the Archdiocese of Baltimore permanently removed his priestly faculties following a determination related to the abuse claim.

Thomas R. Bevan

• Convicted
  

Thomas R. Bevan, a monsignor who held senior chancery roles and leadership positions in the Boy Scouts, was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy at St. John’s School in Frederick between 1974 and 1979. He was removed from ministry in 2009 and later received a ten-year suspended sentence with eighteen months of home detention.

Eugene Morgan

• Accused
  

Eugene Morgan was accused of sexually abusing a male student at Calvert Hall College High School in the late 1970s. The victim reported being forced to swim naked and being fondled by Morgan during the encounters. The allegations arose years after Morgan’s assignment connected to the school.

James M. Posten

• Accused
  

James M. Posten, also known as Brother Jeffrey, was publicly accused of sexual abuse by the Xaverian religious order. He withdrew from the order in 1950. The allegation concerned conduct during his time associated with the order prior to his departure from religious life.

William A. Braun

• Accused
  

William A. Braun was publicly identified by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as accused of sexually abusing a boy between 1947 and 1949. The abuse reportedly began after the boy completed seventh grade at St. Dominic’s School and continued for approximately two years during Braun’s clerical service.

Frederick C. Brinkmann

• Accused
  

Frederick C. Brinkmann was accused of sexually abusing a sixteen-year-old boy while assigned to St. Michael’s Parish in Baltimore during 1977–1978. The victim reported oral rape during one incident. The allegation was reported to the Redemptorists, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore communicated the report to the order.

Gerard Serafin Bugge

• Accused
  

Gerard Serafin Bugge served in parishes in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland, as well as assignments in Washington, D.C., and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was named on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 2002 list of accused clergy. Following the allegation, his religious order removed him from faculty positions.

Maurice J. Blackwell

• Convicted
  

Maurice J. Blackwell served as pastor of St. Edward’s Parish in Baltimore from 1979 to 2003. He was placed on leave in 1993 after complaints of abuse and permanently removed from ministry in 1998 after admitting to a sexual relationship with a minor that ended in the 1970s. He was laicized in 2004 and convicted in 2005 of abuse, including rape.

Louis A. Bonacci

• Accused
  

Louis A. Bonacci was investigated after an allegation that he improperly touched a minor in a family home between 1978 and 1982. During the inquiry, a second accuser was identified. In 2011, his religious order permanently removed him from active ministry following the findings.

Robert C. Callahan

• Accused
  

Robert C. Callahan was publicly named as accused in the Maryland Attorney General’s report released on April 5, 2023. He was sued in 1978 over an affair with a neighbor’s wife, took a leave of absence, and never returned to ministry. Allegations state that he sexually abused a boy between 1967 and 1974.

John J. Carney

• Accused

John J. Carney was accused by a woman who stated that he repeatedly fondled and kissed her when she was ten years old, conduct she reported to Baltimore County Police. The Archdiocese of Baltimore later settled her claim for $50,000. Carney was also accused of physically abusing a sixth-grade boy during the 1960s and maintained close associations with Joseph Maskell during that period.

Douglas Carroll

• Accused

Douglas Carroll was removed from ministry in 1990 after admitting that he had solicited a minor while serving in another state. The Archdiocese of Baltimore withdrew him from active pastoral duties following his admission. His removal was handled internally by church authorities, with no publicly recorded criminal prosecution connected to the solicitation.

John J. Corbett

• Accused

John J. Corbett, a priest from England, was accused of sexually abusing two girls at St. Mary Star of the Sea parish in Baltimore during assignments in 1949–1950 and again in 1952 or 1953. The Archdiocese of Baltimore publicly identified Corbett as accused on its official disclosure list released on April 24, 2019.

Brian M. Cox

• Convicted

Brian M. Cox admitted in 1994 to touching the genitals of a thirteen-year-old boy and was placed on permanent leave without priestly privileges in 1995 for sexually abusing a sixteen-year-old boy in 1981. Additional allegations involved prolonged abuse of a fifth-grade altar boy in 1980. Cox was later arrested, pleaded guilty to abusing two boys, served nine months in prison, and was laicized.

Robert B. Cullen

• Accused

Robert B. Cullen was accused of sexually abusing a grade-school girl between the ages of eight and fourteen, along with other minors, during the 1960s. No action was taken at the time of the abuse. The primary victim reported the abuse in 2005, after which the Jesuit order made a mandated report to civil authorities.

Charles G. Coyle

• Sued

Charles G. Coyle was accused of sexually abusing a boy during the 1970s while assigned to Newton South High School in Boston and of abusing two brothers while a seminarian in Baltimore during the 1960s. Civil litigation followed the allegations. Coyle died on July 1, 2015.

Fernando Cristancho

• Convicted

Fernando Cristancho was assigned to the Archdiocese of Baltimore from 1999 to 2002 at St. Ignatius parish in Forest Hill. He arranged in vitro fertilization of a woman in Colombia using his sperm, resulting in triplets born in November 2001. In 2017, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, admitting to sexual abuse and creation of nude images involving multiple children.

John Danilak

• Indicted

John Danilak, a Byzantine Catholic priest, was indicted in 2002 on charges stemming from the sexual abuse of a youth in 1978. The criminal charge was dismissed when Danilak died in April 2003, shortly before trial. At least two additional men later reported similar allegations of abuse involving Danilak.

Joseph A. Davies

• Accused

Monsignor Joseph A. Davies served as a parish priest, prep school chaplain, prison chaplain, archdiocesan Director of Catholic Boy Scouts, and was active in Volunteers for America. He received numerous allegations of child sexual abuse, including rape, involving minors during the 1950s and 1960s across multiple assignments within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

John Justice

• Accused

John Justice was ordained to the diaconate in 1974 and assigned to St. Louis parish in Clarksville from 1975 to 1989. He later served as a substitute chaplain at Bon Secours Hospital from 1989 to 1990. Justice died in 2015. Allegations of sexual abuse were later associated with his ministry.

Leo O’Hara

• Charged

Leo O’Hara was accused in 1981 by five boys from St. Rose Elementary School of engaging in sexual acts with them. In 1987, he was charged in Ocean City, Maryland, with sixteen counts of sexual offenses and sixteen counts of child abuse. O’Hara admitted to molesting more than one hundred children dating back to 1953.

Alfred A. Dean

• Settled

Alfred A. Dean, originally from the Bahamas, was assigned to St. Veronica parish in South Baltimore and later to St. Francis Xavier in East Baltimore. He was suspended from ministry in 2002 following allegations that he sexually molested a thirteen-year-old boy. The Archdiocese of Baltimore later resolved the claim through a settlement.

Richard Deakin

• Convicted

Richard Deakin was convicted of sexually abusing a thirteen-year-old girl and received a twenty-year suspended sentence, a fifteen-year suspended sentence, and five years of probation. He left the priesthood in 1988, later married, and in 2018 surrendered his social work license following the public release of information concerning his sexual misconduct.

Francis E. Dolan

• Accused

Francis E. Dolan, known as Brother Fabian, was accused of sexual abuse in Baltimore in 1945 by a man who stated that Dolan, several other Xaverian Brothers, and a Passionist priest sexually abused him during that period. The allegations surfaced decades after the alleged abuse occurred.

Donald Dimitroff

• Accused

Donald Dimitroff was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 2002 disclosure of religious priests and brothers accused of sexual abuse. Dimitroff admitted to the abuse of a boy and stated that he believed the victim was eighteen years old at the time of the misconduct.

Martin H. Demek

• Unsubstantiated

Martin H. Demek, a parish pastor, was suspended from ministry in April 2021 following an allegation of sexual abuse. After review, the Archdiocese of Baltimore determined the allegation to be unsubstantiated. Demek was formally returned to active ministry in April 2022.

James H. Dowdy

• Accused

James H. Dowdy was accused of sexually abusing minors during the late 1970s and early 1980s and admitted to abusing two children. He was removed from ministry, had his faculties revoked, and was sent to St. Luke’s Institute, where he admitted to sexually abusing boys during treatment.

Robert W. Duerr

• Accused

Robert W. Duerr was accused by a former nun in 2002 of fondling altar boys while they were third-grade students at St. Rita’s parish school. In 2012, a woman reported that Duerr sexually abused her beginning at age seven and continuing until she left for college.

Francis P. Ernst

• Accused

Francis P. Ernst was identified by the Maryland Attorney General as having sexually abused and raped a boy between the ages of twelve and fourteen while assigned to St. Augustine parish in Elkridge, Maryland, from 1998 to 2004. Ernst died in 2004, the same year his assignment ended.

Frederick H. Duke

• Accused

Frederick H. Duke admitted in 1988 to sexually abusing twenty-six children, seven of whom later came forward publicly. Victims reported disclosing the abuse to priests and church authorities without corrective action. Duke was sent for spiritual direction rather than removed from ministry following the admissions.

John H. Duggan

• Accused

John H. Duggan sexually abused a teenage boy during the late 1960s and early 1970s, abuse later acknowledged by a Jesuit official in 1993. Duggan admitted to sexually abusing young children early in his priesthood. After 1996, he was restricted to convent and prison ministry but continued assisting at parishes until his death in 2004.

Luigi Esposito

• Accused

Luigi Esposito was ordained in Italy and assigned to Our Lady of Pompei parish in Highlandtown from 1964 to 2018, serving as pastor beginning in 1987 and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2000. He was suspended from ministry in May 2018 following allegations that he sexually abused a girl beginning in 1973.

Terence J. Evans

• Accused

Terence J. Evans was accused by a man who reported that Evans sexually abused him at approximately age fourteen during the late 1950s while Evans served as pastor at St. Margaret’s parish. The victim left the parish immediately after the incident and never returned to Catholic Youth Organization activities.

Alfred Ewanowski

• Settled

Alfred Ewanowski was accused by a former student of sexual abuse occurring in 1967 at Archbishop Curley High School. Additional allegations later emerged involving abuse during his tenure as a faculty member at Curley High School, where he was assigned from 1968 through 1976. The claims were resolved through settlement.

Kenneth Farabaugh

• Settled

Kenneth Farabaugh became known to archdiocesan officials in 1993 following allegations of sexual abuse, which were initially denied by both the accuser and Farabaugh and temporarily set aside. In 2000, the accuser provided detailed allegations, and Farabaugh was later listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 26, 2002 disclosure, followed by additional accusations from two women abused as children.

Carl A. Fisher

• Settled
  

Carl A. Fisher was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on April 24, 2019. The Maryland Attorney General’s investigation documented allegations that Fisher sexually abused boys and girls, including acts of rape, and at times provided money to children in connection with the abuse. The Archdiocese resolved claims involving Fisher through settlement rather than criminal prosecution.

Joseph P. Firlie

• Accused
  

Joseph P. Firlie was publicly identified as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. A man reported that Firlie sexually abused him while he was a student at St. Peter and Paul Catholic School between the ages of ten and fourteen, with the abuse occurring over several years from 1979 through 1983.

Robert Flaherty

• Accused
  

Robert Flaherty was suspended from ministry in 2018 following an investigation by a state’s attorney into allegations that he sexually abused a minor during the mid-1980s. At the time of his suspension, Flaherty was teaching at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, while affiliated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Sylvan Fondriest

• Accused
  

Sylvan Fondriest was identified by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as accused of sexually abusing minors during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Additional acknowledgment of abuse surfaced in 2008, involving misconduct dating back to the same period. His name was later included among clergy formally recognized by the archdiocese as accused.

Alphonsus Figlewski

• Settled
  

Alphonsus Figlewski served in multiple locations, including Shamokin, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Baltimore and Ellicott City, Maryland; Loretto, Italy; and Hamburg, New York. He was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. Figlewski died in 1948, and claims associated with him were resolved through settlement.

Edward Heilman

• Accused
  

Edward Heilman was accused of sexually abusing an altar boy between the ages of eight and thirteen during the 1970s while assigned to the Shrine of the Little Flower in Baltimore. The abuse was reported decades later and included repeated misconduct over several years. Heilman died in 1988.

Gerard J. Koob

• Accused
  

Gerard J. Koob was accused by two women who stated that he repeatedly raped them during the early 1970s while they were students at Keough High School. Koob denied the allegations but left the priesthood around 1979, shortly after the period in which the abuse was reported to have occurred.

Joseph G. Fiorentino

• Accused
  

Joseph G. Fiorentino was accused by a woman who reported that he pressed himself against her breasts and buttocks on multiple occasions between 1973 and 1977. Another woman separately confronted Fiorentino for grabbing students’ buttocks during the same general period. The allegations involved repeated physical sexual contact with minors.

Louis John Affrica

• Accused
  

Louis John Affrica was identified as a perpetrator of sexual abuse of minors in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He was accused of sexually abusing a boy between the ages of fifteen and eighteen and a girl aged fifteen or sixteen during the period from 1973 through 1976.

Roger K. Wooden

• Accused
  

Monsignor Roger K. Wooden was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. Following the disclosure, anonymous notices were published in the Baltimore Sun asking whether former students or parishioners had experienced discipline or misconduct involving Wooden during his clerical assignments.

Daniel Free

• Accused
  

Daniel Free was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on April 24, 2019. He was removed from ministry in 2000. Two girls reported that Free sexually abused them during separate periods in the mid-1950s and again in the mid-1960s. Free died on June 11, 2016.

Thomas Hudson

• Accused
  

Thomas Hudson was publicly identified as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report, though his name was initially redacted. Following the disclosure of the allegations, Hudson was placed on leave in May 2023 by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland while the allegations were addressed.

Joseph J. Gallagher

• Accused
  

Joseph J. Gallagher, a former editor of The Catholic Review, was accused of sexually abusing a fourteen-year-old boy in 1980. Gallagher objected to his public identification as accused, asserting that the incident involved a massage and did not include genital contact. The Archdiocese of Baltimore nevertheless included him on its list of accused clergy.

Joseph U. Gerg

• Accused
  

Joseph U. Gerg was accused of sexually abusing a minor following an allegation received by the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1997. He was removed from active ministry in 2002. Gerg was subsequently included on multiple public lists identifying priests accused of sexual abuse within the archdiocese.

Steven P. Girard

• Settled
  

Steven P. Girard drew attention in 1991 after a parishioner reported that his foster sons were allowed to consume alcohol in the rectory. In 2002, he was sent to St. Luke Institute after falsely reporting himself as a victim of a carjacking. In 2004, a young man accused Girard of sexual abuse, and related claims were later resolved through settlement.

Mark A. Haight

• Settled
  

Mark A. Haight was known to the Diocese of Albany as the subject of child sexual abuse allegations from early in his priesthood. He was sent for treatment in 1985 and again in 1989. In 2023, the family of a man who reported abuse in 2002 filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the man died of a drug overdose in 2022.

Marion Francis Helowicz

• Convicted
  

Marion Francis Helowicz was arrested in 1984 for attempting to solicit a police officer, though charges were dropped and he was sent for treatment. In 1988, he admitted to sexually abusing a learning-disabled teenage boy and was sentenced to six months in jail, a two-year suspended sentence, and community service. He was laicized in 2017 and later named in the Maryland Attorney General’s Report.

Joseph J. Hill

• Accused
  

Joseph J. Hill was accused of sexually abusing a girl aged sixteen or seventeen while assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Baltimore. The allegation involved misconduct with a minor during his pastoral ministry. Hill was later identified by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as accused.

Robert E. Hiltz

• Accused
  

Robert E. Hiltz was accused in 2003 of sexually abusing a female relative during the 1970s. In 2018, a separate allegation emerged when a man reported that Hiltz sexually abused him at age ten in 1968. The allegations spanned multiple decades and involved different victims.

Joseph H. Hopkins

• Accused
  

Joseph H. Hopkins was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on April 24, 2019. Church records indicate that he was sent away from the archdiocese in 1949 due to serious misconduct described as having legal ramifications. He was instructed to keep his location secret while his case remained active in the courts.

George L. Hopkins

• Accused
  

George L. Hopkins was publicly identified as accused on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s revised list released April 24, 2019. He was accused of sexual abuse occurring in the early 1950s. Despite the allegations, he held senior leadership roles, including Chancellor from 1954 to 1965, Archdiocesan Consultor, and Rural Dean from 1965 to 1968. Hopkins died in 1980.

William H. Jameson

• Accused
  

William H. Jameson was accused of sexually abusing a thirteen-year-old girl in 1942 while assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Baltimore. He later transferred to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and then to the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. Jameson died in 1973.

Robert F. Hopkins

• Accused
  

Robert F. Hopkins admitted to engaging in sexual misconduct with fourteen boys over a period spanning from the 1950s through the early 1980s. The abuse occurred across five different parishes. He was publicly identified on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 26, 2002 list of abusive priests.

Albert J. Julian

• Accused
  

Albert J. Julian was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He admitted to sexually abusing minors and requested laicization, which was granted in 1970 so that he could marry. Julian died in 2006.

Thomas F. Kelly

• Accused
  

Thomas F. Kelly, also known as Brother Benedict Joseph, was accused of sexually abusing a student in Baltimore in 1945 while associated with St. Mary’s Industrial School. The allegation involved abuse of a minor during his service in a religious educational setting.

Joseph A. Kenney

• Accused
  

Joseph A. Kenney was identified by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as having been the subject of sexual abuse allegations dating back to the early 1950s. Archdiocesan statements issued in 2018 acknowledged awareness of the allegations while Kenney remained in active ministry during that period.

Thomas M. Kelly

• Accused
  

Thomas M. Kelly was publicly identified as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He was forced to retire in late 1971 following complaints involving chronic intoxication, inappropriate conduct with women and girls, and other erratic behavior during his ministry.

Simon E. Kenny

• Accused
  

Simon E. Kenny, known as Monsignor Kenny French, was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on its April 24, 2019 list. The allegations involved sexual abuse occurring in the early 1980s. Kenny died in 1999.

Paul Knapp

• Accused
  

Paul Knapp was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 2002 disclosure of priests, religious priests, and brothers accused of sexual misconduct. In 1993, he was removed from his parish assignment in Saratoga Springs, New York, and was directed to undergo treatment.

Michael Kolodziej

• Settled
  

Michael Kolodziej served as principal of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Buffalo and later as assistant principal at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs. Allegations included sexual abuse of six former students, as detailed in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. Related claims were resolved through settlement.

Joseph W. Krach

• Accused
  

Joseph W. Krach was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He received psychiatric treatment at Seton Psychiatric Institute in 1968. In October 1981, he was arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer, later committed for six months of psychiatric hospitalization, and retired early from ministry in December 1991.

Joseph J. Kruse

• Accused
  

Joseph J. Kruse was included on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 2002 list of abusive priests. In 1987, he confessed to a diocesan official that he had sexually assaulted two teenage boys, one who had recently turned eighteen and another who was sixteen in 1985. Kruse was sent to the Institute of Living in Connecticut for treatment and later assigned to a hospital chaplaincy with a parish residence.

William Earl Krouse

• Convicted
  

William Earl “Jay” Krouse, a former pastor and teacher at the Maryland School for the Deaf and St. Francis Catholic Deaf Center, was arrested in Florida in 1996. He was convicted and sentenced to six consecutive ten-year prison terms for sexually abusing six deaf boys between 1970 and 1978 while serving in educational and pastoral roles connected to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

James V. Lannon

• Accused
  

James V. Lannon was suspended from ministry in Washington, D.C., and permanently removed from parish work in 1958 due to sexual impropriety involving teenage boys. A woman later alleged that Lannon sexually abused her in the mid-1930s when she was nine or ten years old. His clerical career included assignments preceding his removal from ministry.

Thomas G. Kuhl

• Settled
  

Thomas G. Kuhl, ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1988, taught religion at Our Lady of Pompei High School and Towson Catholic High School and served as choir director. In 2006, a former student alleged abuse by Kuhl over two years, prompting immediate leave. Additional allegations described abuse from 1995 to 2005. Related claims were resolved through settlement.

Xavier Langan

• Settled
  

Brother Geoffrey Xavier Langan was accused of sexually abusing a student at Calvert Hall College High School in 1969. The school acknowledged the allegation and a separate claim by an older alumnus in 2004. In 2018, another former student reported that Langan watched students swim naked. The allegations were addressed through settlement arrangements.

Ross A. LaPorta

• Accused
  

Ross A. LaPorta, listed as pastor emeritus at St. Mark’s in Catonsville, Maryland, was accused after retiring from active ministry. Allegations included abuse of a boy between ages six and sixteen reported in 1999, sexual abuse of a girl in 1966 at St. Charles in Pikesville, and rape of a boy in the early 1970s reported in 2013.

Regis F. Larkin

• Accused
  

Regis F. Larkin served in archdiocesan parishes from 1945 to 1980 and was publicly named as accused on April 16, 2019. Allegations included sexual abuse of a boy aged twelve to fifteen between 1978 and 1981 and abuse of a fifth-grade boy during the 1955–1956 period. His assignments spanned several decades within the archdiocese.

Thomas B. Lee

• Accused
  

Thomas B. Lee, a priest of the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea, was accused of sexual abuse occurring in the early 1970s while connected to ministry activities in Baltimore. His name appeared on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of priests accused of sexual abuse, reflecting misconduct associated with his temporary service or presence in the archdiocese.

Francis J. Lefevre

• Settled
  

Francis J. Lefevre admitted to sexually abusing numerous minors during the 1970s and 1980s. He was sent to Connecticut for treatment and returned to Baltimore after several months. Allegations included abuse of boys at St. Anthony of Padua and St. Ursula’s parishes between 1969 and 1976, involving victims aged ten to twelve. Claims were resolved through settlement.

David Leary

• Accused
  

David Leary was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. His personnel file reflected concerns from superiors as early as 1961. Despite those concerns, Leary later returned to parish ministry as an associate pastor in 2013, continuing clerical service within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Robert F. Lentz

• Accused
  

Robert F. Lentz served as a parish priest, juvenile court chaplain, and director within the Catholic Youth Department. He was placed on leave in 2002 following allegations of sexual abuse involving two boys. In 2006, an additional man came forward with abuse allegations, expanding the scope of reported misconduct associated with Lentz’s ministry.

Phillip J. Linden

• Accused
  

Phillip J. Linden was assigned within the Archdiocese of Baltimore from 1969 to 1986 and later worked at Xavier University of Louisiana from 1991 to 2018. He was accused of sexual abuse connected to his earlier period of service in Baltimore, leading to his inclusion on public lists of accused clergy.

John L. Lippold

• Accused
  

John L. Lippold was accused of sexually abusing a sixteen-year-old girl over a two-year period in the late 1960s. The Archdiocese of Baltimore learned of the allegation in 2010 and notified law enforcement. Police instructed church officials not to pursue further contact with Lippold during the course of their investigation.

Robert J. Lochner

• Settled
  

Robert J. Lochner served as a parish priest, National Guard chaplain, and Catholic Youth Organization leader. He was first publicly named as accused on April 16, 2019, despite having died in a car accident on December 9, 1967. Allegations involved abuse of two boys, and related claims were resolved through settlements.

Anthony Lorento

• Settled
  

Anthony Lorento was accused by a woman who reported that he held her and attempted to kiss her when she was sixteen, around 1981. The Archdiocese of Baltimore informed the Pallottine order of the allegation. Lorento left the priesthood in 1998. The matter was later addressed through a settlement.

George B. Loskarn

• Accused
  

George B. Loskarn was accused of sexually abusing minors in the late 1960s and early 1970s and later admitted to fondling an eighteen-year-old male around 1985. An altar boy reported that Loskarn engaged in sexualized behavior while supervising young boys, including inappropriate games and exposure during parish activities.

Samuel J. Lupico

• Accused
  

Samuel J. Lupico was accused by a man who stated that, while living with Lupico as his foster son during the 1980s, the priest provided alcohol, made sexual advances, and molested him. The accuser also reported abuse of other boys. Lupico denied the allegations when they were brought to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Ronald Mardaga

• Accused
  

Ronald Mardaga was removed from the priesthood in 1986 after admitting to sexually abusing a boy aged thirteen or fourteen around 1975 or 1976. He refused inpatient treatment and requested laicization in 1990. His laicization was formally granted in 1992, ending his clerical status.

A. Joseph Maskell

• Settled
  

A. Joseph Maskell was accused of sexually abusing and raping numerous girls while teaching at Keough High School during the late 1960s and early 1970s, sometimes acting with another priest. By May 2017, the Archdiocese of Baltimore had paid $472,000 to sixteen accusers. By 2023, thirty-nine individuals had reported abuse linked to Maskell.

E. Neil Magnus

• Accused
  

E. Neil Magnus was accused of sexually abusing girls during the late 1960s while serving as a counselor alongside Joseph Maskell. Reports received by the Archdiocese in 1992 described repeated abuse over several years. The Maryland Attorney General’s Report detailed abuse of seven girls by Magnus, including one victim as young as eleven years old.

Arthur R. Maurer

• Convicted
  

Arthur R. Maurer pleaded guilty in 1992 to federal charges of fondling a twelve-year-old boy aboard a cruise ship operating out of Port Canaveral, Florida. He was sent to Toronto for treatment following his conviction. Maurer died in 1993, shortly after the conclusion of his criminal case.

Benedict Mawn

• Settled
  

Benedict Mawn served in multiple archdioceses and dioceses, including Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Buffalo, Scranton, Worcester, and Manchester. He was accused of sexually abusing a boy in the late 1940s or early 1950s and was named in a 2005 civil lawsuit. Allegations involving Mawn were resolved through settlement.

William T. McCrory

• Accused
  

William T. McCrory was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. A woman reported that McCrory sexually abused her between the ages of seven and nine and provided gifts to discourage disclosure. The allegations involved repeated abuse during her childhood within an archdiocesan setting.

William F. McCarthy

• Accused
  

Brother Constantine William F. McCarthy, a member of the Xaverian Brothers, was accused of sexually abusing a boy aged eight or nine in Baltimore during the mid-1940s. The allegation involved misconduct within an educational environment connected to the Xaverian order and later became part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s abuse disclosures.

M. Francis McGrath

• Sued
  

M. Francis McGrath acknowledged sexually abusing three or four victims during his ministry in Trenton. At the time allegations were reported, he was on leave from St. Luke Institute. McGrath was named in two civil lawsuits alleging abuse of boys in 1978 and 1983, respectively, connected to his clerical assignments.

Eugene Ambrose McGuire

• Accused
  

Eugene Ambrose McGuire was publicly identified as credibly accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on April 24, 2019. Allegations involved sexual abuse of a girl and a boy during his ministry. McGuire died in 1984, decades before the allegations were formally disclosed by church authorities.

Lawrence C. Meegan

• Accused
  

Brother Luanus Lawrence C. Meegan, a Xaverian Brother, was accused of sexually abusing and raping a boy between the ages of thirteen and sixteen beginning in 1945. The abuse occurred at St. Mary’s Industrial School in Baltimore and involved repeated acts over several years within an institutional setting.

Joseph V. Messer

• Accused
  

Joseph V. Messer was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He was later accused of sexually abusing a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy during 1975 or 1976. The Archdiocese of Baltimore later characterized the allegation as not credible after internal review.

Romuald Meogrossi

• Accused
  

Romuald Meogrossi was suspended from ministry by the Archdiocese of Baltimore following an allegation of sexual abuse. He denied the allegation when confronted by church authorities. His suspension removed him from active ministry while the allegation was addressed administratively.

Ronald N. Michaud

• Settled
  

Ronald N. Michaud was placed on leave in 1989 following a report of sexual abuse. A man later filed a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Baltimore, alleging abuse by Michaud while serving as an altar boy. The claim was resolved through settlement.

William J. Migliorini

• Accused
  

William J. Migliorini was added to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of accused clergy on November 4, 2019, after a second accuser came forward that year. The allegation described abuse during his assignment at Shrine of the Sacred Heart from 1965 to 1973. The archdiocese applied its policy of listing deceased clergy when multiple allegations are received. Migliorini died in 1992.

John Joseph Mike Jr.

• Convicted
  

John Joseph Mike Jr. was criminally charged for abusing two boys and admitted abusing another boy at a prior parish. He was diagnosed with sexual sadism and sent to Connecticut for treatment. After his arrest, he contacted a victim and urged secrecy. By the late 1980s, at least seven victims had come forward, boys aged thirteen to seventeen at the time of abuse. He did not return to active ministry.

Jerome A. Moody

• Accused
  

Jerome A. Moody was the subject of multiple allegations reported to the Archdiocese of Baltimore after Baltimore City Police notified church officials in 2002 of claims involving several individuals. A separate report in 2005 alleged that Moody abused a fourteen-year-old boy over a three-year period. The allegations were handled through archdiocesan review and administrative action connected to his clerical status.

John A. Mountain

• Accused
  

John A. Mountain was publicly identified as accused in the Maryland Attorney General’s April 2023 report. The allegations stated he sexually abused a boy between ages eleven and thirteen from 1941 to 1943, and again from 1945 to 1949. The reported abuse spanned multiple periods and described repeated victimization during the child’s adolescence and preadolescence within an archdiocesan context.

William Morgan

• Accused
  

William Morgan was publicly identified as accused in the Maryland Attorney General’s April 2023 report. He was accused of sexually abusing a four-year-old girl in 1986. He was sent to the House of Affirmation in Massachusetts for assessment, where residential treatment was not recommended. The allegation was addressed through archdiocesan intervention tied to evaluation and restrictions connected to ministry.

Timothy M. Murphy

• Accused
  

Timothy M. Murphy was accused after a man alleged in 1999 that Murphy sexually abused him at St. Charles Borromeo Parish around 1970, when the complainant was twelve. Murphy later took a leave of absence for health reasons from 1972 to 1978. During that period, he was sent to Southdown Institute in Canada, an assessment and treatment program used for clergy.

Ronald N. Nicholls

• Accused
  

Ronald N. Nicholls was publicly identified as accused in the Maryland Attorney General’s April 2023 report. The allegation described sexual assault of a boy in the 1970s. Nicholls later left the Marianist religious order in 1980, ending his formal affiliation with that community. The reported misconduct was tied to his period of religious service and became part of the archdiocese’s compiled abuse disclosures.

Alan W. Nagle

• Accused
  

Alan W. Nagle was ordained for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and went on leave in 1978. He later worked at a Melkite Greek Catholic church in North Hollywood, California, and was terminated after about eighteen months in 1980. He left the Catholic Church in 1981, ending his clerical status within the archdiocese. Nagle died in 1997, after years outside parish ministry.

Robert Victor Newman

• Accused
  

Robert Victor Newman was removed from an assignment after the Archdiocese of Baltimore learned he had admitted sexually abusing minors during the 1970s and 1980s. He was sent to Johns Hopkins and later to treatment in Hartford, Connecticut. Despite the admission and removal, he was permitted to resume active ministry in Hartford beginning in 1990, reflecting a transfer and reinstatement outside Baltimore after clinical intervention.

Henry J. O’Toole

• Accused
  

Henry J. O’Toole was accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore of sexually abusing a girl in the early 1970s while connected to Our Lady of Fatima in East Baltimore. His clerical history also included time in Toledo, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia, indicating ministry or residence beyond Maryland. The allegation centered on misconduct with a minor during his period of service in Baltimore-area parish life.

Joseph F. O’Brien

• Accused
  

Joseph F. O’Brien was publicly identified as accused in the Maryland Attorney General’s April 2023 report, with his name initially redacted. He was accused of sexually abusing a girl aged fifteen or sixteen in the mid-1970s. O’Brien requested laicization in 1977 and was laicized in 1978, ending his status as a priest shortly after the reported period of abuse.

William F. O’Bryan

• Accused
  

William F. O’Bryan, identified within the Xaverian Brothers as Brother Sidney, was publicly named as accused by the order for sexual abuse connected to Camp Calvert in the early 1950s. The allegation placed the misconduct in a youth camp setting associated with Catholic programming and supervision. His public identification reflected an institutional determination by the religious community that the accusation met its disclosure criteria.

Brian Keith Olkowski

• Convicted
  

Brian Keith Olkowski, a seminarian dismissed in 1995, was accused of plying a minor with beer and molesting him while working in the Baltimore area. He pleaded guilty and received a sentence that included incarceration, counseling, community service, and probation terms. The case was treated as criminal sexual misconduct involving a youth, and his dismissal ended his path to ordination within church formation programs.

Joseph O’Meara

• Accused
  

Joseph O’Meara, a parish priest linked to the Lamb of God covenant community founded in the 1970s, was removed from active ministry in December 2019. Three women reported that he touched them inappropriately, prompting archdiocesan action and his removal from parish residence. The allegations focused on nonconsensual sexual contact involving adult complainants and resulted in an immediate ministry restriction rather than continued assignment.

Adrian Poletti

• Accused
  

Adrian Poletti was accused by a boy, about eleven or twelve, of sexual abuse at Camp Gabriel and at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery School. The claim resulted in a $38,000 settlement. The reported misconduct involved a minor in institutional settings connected to religious education and youth programming. The settlement reflected resolution of the allegation through financial compensation rather than a public criminal adjudication described in summaries.

John B. Peacock

• Accused
  

Monsignor John B. Peacock was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on its April 24, 2019 list. He was accused of abuse in the mid-1960s and also in the late 1950s, indicating multiple time frames tied to his ministry. The allegations placed the misconduct within his clerical career and led to his inclusion among publicly disclosed accused clergy associated with the archdiocese.

Dennis A. Pecore

• Convicted
  

Dennis A. Pecore worked in multiple states and was convicted of sexual assault in 1987, later resolving a civil claim with a $595,000 settlement in 1988. He was later convicted for molesting a second boy over a period described as 1989 to 1992 while assigned at a care setting for elderly priests. He received a twelve-year prison sentence and probation, reflecting repeat criminal adjudications for child sexual abuse.

Blair Raum

• Accused
  

Blair Raum was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2022, with allegations that he abused a minor in the 1960s and that he fondled a boy repeatedly in 1971. Raum died in 2003, and the public disclosure occurred years later as additional allegations were reported and reviewed. The accusations described repeated sexual contact with a child during the boy’s early adolescence.

Charles O. Rouse

• Accused
  

Charles O. Rouse admitted in 1995 to sexually abusing two boys in 1981. A separate allegation reported in 2002 described abuse of a boy from 1968 to 1972, expanding the timeline tied to his misconduct. In 2014, another man reported abuse occurring from 1985 to 1989. The pattern across reports described repeated child sexual abuse over decades, with admissions and later disclosures.

Michael V. Scriber

• Accused
  

Michael V. Scriber attended seminary and later remained in church housing for years while running youth programming. In 2003, the Archdiocese of Baltimore received a report that he sexually abused a Boy Scout, and a religious order stopped recruiting him after that report. Another man later alleged that Scriber sexually abused him during a scouting trip in the 1970s, tying the misconduct to youth activities and supervision.

Thomas Rochacewicz

• Settled
  

Thomas Rochacewicz professed final vows in 1968 and served across multiple states, including Connecticut, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and the District of Columbia. At least ten women later alleged he sexually abused them as children from 1968 through the mid-1980s. The allegations described a prolonged pattern spanning many years and assignments, and related claims were addressed through settlement rather than a single consolidated criminal proceeding.

Thomas A. Rydzewski

• Guilty plea
  

Thomas A. Rydzewski was arrested for possession of child pornography and internet child pornography, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to twenty-seven months in federal prison. He was released in 2004 after serving his sentence. Rydzewski’s name appeared on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s September 2002 list of priests accused of sexual abuse, linking his criminal conviction to broader concerns about misconduct during his clerical service.

William Q. Simms

• Charged
  

William Q. Simms was barred from St. Mark’s Summer Camp in the 1950s while a seminarian due to documented sexual concerns. He was removed from parish ministry in 1985 and received treatment at St. Luke Institute. By 2021, three men reported that Simms sexually abused them during their childhoods, describing misconduct spanning decades of clerical involvement.

Richard E. Smith

• Settled
  

Monsignor Richard E. Smith was removed from active ministry in March 2007 after two women reported that he sexually abused them when they were teenagers. Smith acknowledged portions of the allegations and was sent to St. Luke Institute for evaluation and treatment. The Archdiocese of Baltimore resolved the claims through settlement following his removal from pastoral duties.

David G. Smith

• Guilty plea
  

David G. Smith underwent treatment at St. Luke Institute during the 1990s and later pleaded guilty in 2002 to engaging in sexual acts with a boy. He was included on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s list of accused clergy that same year. His guilty plea resulted in criminal accountability alongside administrative actions connected to his clerical status.

Thomas W. Smith

• Accused
  

Thomas W. Smith admitted sexual abuse to archdiocesan officials in 1988 but remained in ministry after seeking counseling, with no report made to law enforcement. He was accused of molesting an eighth-grade boy in 1980, which he denied. Smith died by suicide the day before leaving his parish, after which approximately forty individuals reported abuse and rape by him, involving victims aged six to sixteen.

Albert T. Stallings

• Accused
  

Albert T. “Pete” Stallings, a monsignor, was accused in May 2002 of sexually abusing a boy between the ages of eight and ten from 1978 to 1980. The abuse allegedly occurred at the St. Clare rectory and church and once near a bridge on Eastern Avenue. The allegations described repeated abuse within parish-controlled settings.

Cuthbert Sullivan

• Accused
  

Cuthbert Sullivan was accused of sexually abusing a thirteen-year-old boy while assigned to St. Joseph’s Monastery Parish in Baltimore. The allegation involved misconduct with a minor during parish ministry and later became part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s compiled disclosures of accused clergy.

Michael J. Spillane

• Settled
  

Michael J. Spillane was accused of sexually abusing an altar boy aged thirteen in 1975–1976 and six teenage boys between 1975 and 1983. His priestly faculties were removed, though he continued working for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions until forced to resign in 2002. The Archdiocese resolved claims involving Spillane through settlement.

Joan Agnes Hasson

• Accused
  

Catherine A. Hasson, known as Joan Agnes Hasson and affiliated with the Third Order of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, was accused of sexually abusing children while working in Baltimore. Allegations included orally raping a first-grade girl and physically abusing other students. The claims described severe misconduct involving very young children in an educational setting.

Francis Michael Sweeney

• Accused
  

Francis Michael Sweeney was accused of abusing two individuals during the late 1970s and early 1980s and underwent evaluation and treatment in 1993. In 1991, he was accused of anally raping a six-year-old boy. After treatment, Sweeney was transferred to Boston, where he worked at the Paulist Center from 1997 to 2002.

Edmund F. Stroup

• Extradited
  

Edmund F. Stroup faced additional allegations when two more men reported being sexually abused by him as children at Holy Family and St. Rita’s parishes. The reports expanded the number of known accusers and were associated with legal proceedings that included extradition related to the allegations of child sexual abuse tied to his clerical assignments.

Theonilla Flood

• Settled
  

Mary Margaret Flood, known as Theonilla Flood, was accused by a man who reported in 2006 that she sexually abused him while he was a student at St. Joseph Passionist Monastery School. In 2012, the accuser received a $38,000 settlement from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, resolving the claim through a civil agreement.

Thomas Tomasunas

• Accused
  

Thomas Tomasunas, a Capuchin brother, was accused of sexually abusing an altar boy in 1959 while assigned to St. Peter and St. Paul parish in Cumberland, Maryland. The allegation placed the misconduct within a parish setting involving youth participation in liturgical service during his religious assignment.

Alcuin W. Tasch

• Accused
  

Alcuin W. Tasch was accused of sexually abusing an altar boy and student in the late 1950s at Fourteen Holy Martyrs parish in Baltimore. His name appeared in the Maryland Attorney General’s April 2023 report, formally identifying the allegation as part of the archdiocese’s documented history of clergy sexual abuse.

Gerard Trageser

• Convicted
  

Gerard Trageser was convicted of sexual abuse, and church officials arranged for him to avoid incarceration in exchange for assurances he would not return to Maryland. He was reassigned to Utah in 1959, later serving as a rural dean and parish pastor in Price by 1969. Internal correspondence described efforts to prevent public exposure of his misconduct.

James J. Toulas

• Accused
  

James J. Toulas was accused in 1993 of repeatedly sexually abusing a fourteen-year-old boy during the 1960s and early 1970s. He was removed from the rectory of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and sent to St. Luke Institute for treatment. Toulas died in 2000, years after his removal from parish residence.

Jerome Toohey

• Guilty plea
  

Jerome “Jeff” Toohey was accused of sexually abusing a male student at Calvert Hall High School from 1985 to 1989. He denied the allegations but later received a sentence of five years in prison, with all but eighteen months suspended, followed by eighteen months of supervised probation, reflecting criminal adjudication tied to sexual abuse of a minor.

Francis P. Wagner

• Settled
  

Francis P. Wagner was publicly identified as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He served as pastor at St. Joan of Arc Parish School in Aberdeen, where a girl aged eleven or twelve was allegedly sexually abused. The allegation concerned misconduct involving a minor during his pastoral leadership. Claims associated with Wagner were resolved through settlement rather than criminal adjudication.

William C. Wehrle

• Accused
  

William C. Wehrle served in multiple dioceses, including Baltimore, Washington, Omaha, Albany, Pittsburgh, and Denver. He was accused of sexually abusing young girls during the mid-1980s while assigned to a parish in Woodstock, Maryland. The allegations involved repeated misconduct with minors during his parish ministry and later became part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s public disclosures.

Jorge Antonio Velez-Lopez

• Convicted
  

Jorge Antonio Velez-Lopez, a Colombian member of the Tertiary Capuchins, was suspended from ministry in February 2016 pending investigation into sexual misconduct involving a female minor. Police were notified after a man discovered a teenage girl naked in his bed. The investigation was reopened when the girl disclosed that Velez-Lopez was her child’s father. He was convicted of sex abuse of a minor and sentenced to twenty-five years, with all but nine years suspended.

John T. Wielebski

• Accused
  

John T. Wielebski was removed from his assignment at Resurrection of Our Lord parish in Laurel after three men separately reported that he sexually abused them as teenagers during the mid- to late-1980s. Following the reports, he was relocated to Las Vegas. The allegations described repeated abuse involving minors during his pastoral service in Maryland.

Thomas A. Whelan

• Accused
  

Monsignor Thomas A. Whelan was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He was sent for treatment on multiple occasions related to alcohol abuse during his clerical career. Allegations of sexual abuse later emerged connected to his ministry. Whelan died in 1987, decades before the public disclosure of the accusations.

Howard F. Yeakle

• Accused
  

Howard F. Yeakle sexually abused three brothers and another boy during the 1960s after becoming a trusted father figure to the family following the death of their father. The abuse involved repeated misconduct with minors over a sustained period. Yeakle was publicly named as accused by the Archdiocese of Baltimore on its April 24, 2019 disclosure list.

John F. Wilson-Shine

• Accused
  

John F. Wilson-Shine, known within the Xaverian Brothers as Marius Shine, was accused of sexually abusing a boy at St. Mary’s Industrial School in Baltimore during the late 1940s. No action was taken by authorities at the time, and the child’s parents removed him from the school. The allegation later became part of institutional abuse disclosures.

Francis Marie Yocum

• Accused
  

Francis Marie Yocum was publicly identified as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. He was accused of sexually abusing a girl aged sixteen or seventeen in 1954. The allegation involved misconduct with a minor during his clerical service and was disclosed decades later through the Attorney General’s investigation.

Henry Francis Zerhusen

• Settled
  

Henry Francis Zerhusen was publicly named as accused in the April 5, 2023 Maryland Attorney General’s Report. In 2013, a man reported that Zerhusen sexually abused him in 1982 or 1983 when he was eight or nine years old at St. Ambrose parish in Baltimore. The allegation was resolved through settlement.

Raynor Ziemski

• Accused
  

Raynor Ziemski was accused by two individuals of sexually abusing minors during the 1960s and 1970s. The allegations described misconduct spanning multiple years of his clerical service. Ziemski died in 1981, long before the accusations were publicly disclosed and incorporated into the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s records of accused clergy.

About Clergy Child Sex Abuse Allegations

Clergy abuse is adult or child sexual abuse by church officials, often referred to as clergy sexual abuse. Many of the child sex abuse cases we see coming out are about adults coming forward about the child sexual abuse they experienced while growing up in the church, including child sex abuse cases that happened decades ago.

Child abuse can have impacts on the child that will affect the rest of their life. The thing about clergy abuse is that many people don’t recognize that it’s happened to them until later.

Even when they do, many don’t feel comfortable reporting or talking about the physical and sexual abuse they’ve experienced while being a part of the church. This can lead to child sex abuse claims going unreported for years. However, we’re here for you when you’re ready to report child sex abuse claims and file civil lawsuits to get the compensation you deserve.

The legal process for clergy adult or child sexual abuse allegations involves reporting the abuse, partnering with an attorney, filing the lawsuits, and then settling in or out of court, often following investigations by a grand jury. This is imperative to seeking justice and holding Maryland priests accused of child abuse accountable for their actions, particularly through civil lawsuits.

Legal Support for Catholic Church Abuse Survivors in Maryland

For those who have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused by members of the Catholic Church and require child and youth protection, Injury Lawyer Team is dedicated to helping you get justice and the compensation you deserve, working closely with the attorney general’s office when necessary.

Our clergy abuse attorney team can help you find the support services you need for child and youth protection or dealing with the lasting impact of clergy abuse. We have the experience and knowledge to fight for your rights while maintaining a high level of compassion for everything you’ve been through.

What Laws Govern Priest Abuse in Maryland?

Maryland has done a good job of passing laws that benefit survivors of clergy and other types of child sexual abuse.

Maryland Child Victims Act

In 2023, Maryland passed the Maryland Child Victims Act. This law abolishes the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits against an accused clergy member, such as an accused priest. This means that even adults who suffered abuse decades ago can still seek justice in civil court with a sex abuse claim when they’re ready to come forward.

The law also repeals a 2017 law that grants immunity to defendants after a certain period of time. The goal of repealing that law is to stop enabling institutions that might have been accused of harboring sexual abusers.

Mandated Reporting Laws

The mandated reporters in Maryland are required to report suspected child abuse. They don’t need proof; just a valid reason to suspect abuse. Mandated reporters in Maryland are those in healthcare, educators, human service workers, and law enforcement. Failure to report suspected abuse is a crime for mandated reporters. Unlike other states, clergy members are not considered mandated reporters.

Age of Consent

Maryland’s age of consent is considered 16, meaning that a person under 16 cannot legally consent to sexual activities. However, provisions do say that they cannot consent to sexual activities if the person is more than four years older than them, meaning that it’s not illegal if there is a three-year age gap.

Additional provisions address whether it matters if the person is considered a person of authority, which means they have power over the other person. Yes, this does matter in Maryland. If the individual is at least 22 years old and works at a program, or 21 years old and works in education, such as at Archbishop Keough High School, they are considered a person of authority. Even consensual sex is illegal because the minor cannot legally provide consent.

Filing a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Against Accused Priests in Maryland

To file a clergy sexual abuse lawsuit in Maryland, knowing how the process works is key. After you report the sex abuse claim to law enforcement, the Baltimore City police, for example, here’s how the process works:

• Initial Attorney Consultation: Meet with a law firm that specializes in clergy abuse or similar cases. They’ll review your sex abuse claim and proceed in the best way to get you the settlement you deserve.
• Evidence Gathering: Collect evidence such as witness testimonies, your testimony, and any documentation related to the child abuse.
• Filing the Complaint: Officially file the complaint with the appropriate authorities and court to start the legal process of child sex abuse claims.
• Discovery Process: Both parties will be able to go through all the evidence of civil lawsuits and exchange information before beginning negotiations.
• Settlement Negotiations or Trial: Parties often try to reach a settlement for child sex abuse claims outside the courtroom, but if that doesn’t happen, civil lawsuits will end up going to trial.

If you’re ready to hold those who abused you accountable, contact Injury Lawyer Team today to hear how we can help you file a sexual abuse lawsuit.

Support Resources for Survivors of Child Abuse by Catholic Priests in Maryland

Seeking help after clergy abuse can feel daunting when one doesn’t know where to look. Maryland offers resources like support groups, crisis hotlines, and specialized counseling services to help child victims and other child sex abuse survivors begin or continue to heal. Some support resources one can find in Maryland are:

• Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA)
• The Center for Children Inc.
• Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center (MCVRC)

Notable Cases and Outcomes Involved Clergy Accused of Sexual Abuse in Maryland

There are many cases of clergy abuse, child sex abuse, and civil lawsuits throughout Maryland, many of the cases involving abusive priests or other members specifically sexually abusing numerous minors. There have been lists of priests accused of abuse that are coming to light. Some of the most notable cases of accused priests in Maryland are:

• Father Charles Coyle: Coyle was working at Newton South High School in Boston when the alleged clergy sexual abuse occurred. This happened in the 1970s, and he was working in New Orleans when the accusation came out. He was put on leave by the Diocese, and more reports came out about child sex abuse, including one boy who passed from suicide while living with Coyle. Coyle passed away in 2015.
• Father Joseph Gallagher: Gallagher worked at The Catholic Review before retiring in 1985. It was in 1986 that the Archdiocese of Baltimore put him on the list for allegedly abusing a 14-year-old in 1980. Gallagher admitted inappropriate conduct but stated that it was “only a massage” and nothing more. He passed away in 2015, but is still included in a report from the Maryland Attorney General in 2023.
• Bishop Walsh High School: This is a Catholic school in Maryland where several individuals have alleged sexual abuse against different clergy members. Many of the child sex abuse claims haven’t been substantiated. Still, one against Catherine Czapski resulted in the Archdiocese of Baltimore prohibiting her from working in any parish ministry or school in the Baltimore Archdiocese.

It’s important to note that the attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team have reviewed both public and private settlement data related to Maryland clergy abuse settlements. Depending on the circumstances of your child sex abuse case, you might see a settlement between $400,000 and $950,000. In cases of extreme misconduct or if your case goes before a jury, the settlement could exceed $1 million.

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

For clergy abuse cases in Maryland involving an accused clergy member, Injury Lawyer Team is your trusted law firm, ready to take on cases against church leadership. Our legal team has extensive experience handling sensitive cases involving priests accused of abuse, a former priest, working with the Attorney General’s office, and will handle yours with the care it deserves.

The attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team have an unwavering commitment to justice. We will do everything in our power to get you the justice you seek while providing support along the way, especially in cases of sexual abuse involving minors. We have a deep understanding of Maryland laws, specifically around sexual abuse, and will negotiate a sex abuse claim settlement that can hopefully help you start your healing journey.

Whether you or someone you love is a survivor of clergy abuse, hiring a lawyer who has compassion and experience with these cases, especially regarding abuse allegations, can make all the difference. Injury Lawyer Team is here for you every step of the way, particularly in cases where church documents may be crucial. Contact us today for your free, confidential consultation.

Related Practice Areas

• Maryland Clergy Abuse Lawyer
• Baltimore Clergy Abuse Lawyer
• Columbia Clergy Abuse Lawyer
• Germantown Clergy Abuse Lawyer
• Silver Spring Clergy Abuse Lawyer
• Waldorf Clergy Abuse Lawyer

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.