Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Gary Allen Jacobs

This page summarizes the clerical history of Gary Allen Jacobs, as well as the publicly documented allegations of sexual abuse, criminal prosecutions, and institutional responses against him, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Michigan clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Gary Allen Jacobs
• Common Variations / Aliases: Father Gary Jacobs, Fr. Gary Jacobs, Rev. Gary Allen Jacob
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic parish priest
• Current Status: Incarcerated and laicized former priest

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Gary Allen Jacobs was publicly identified as a former Catholic priest through criminal proceedings initiated by the Michigan Attorney General, which resulted in his arrest, prosecution, guilty pleas, and incarceration for multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct involving minors. 

• Entity that Listed Him: Michigan Department of Attorney General, Diocese of Marquette, the Vatican
• Reason for Listing: Publicly identified through criminal prosecution and conviction by the Michigan Attorney General, formally acknowledged by the Diocese of Marquette following his removal from ministry, and dismissed from the clerical state through Vatican-approved laicization.

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1971

Years in Active Ministry: 1971–1988

Locations Where He Served: Diocese of Marquette (MI)

Restrictions: Removed from priestly ministry; ordered by the diocesan bishop not to function publicly as a priest or present himself as one in any capacity

Criminal Convictions: Convicted in 2021 after guilty pleas to multiple counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving minors

Second Set of Charges: Additional criminal sexual conduct charges were filed in 2020 after new victims came forward

Laicization: Formally dismissed from the clerical state through Vatican-approved laicization

Release from Prison: Currently incarcerated and serving concurrent 8–15 year sentences; earliest release eligibility November 16, 2026, with a maximum discharge date in 2032, subject to lifetime monitoring requirements.

Died: No. He is alive and in custody.

Public Disclosure: Publicly identified through criminal prosecution by the Michigan Attorney General, Church disclosures by the Diocese of Marquette, and confirmation of dismissal from the priesthood through Vatican action.

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Marquette

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• Sacred Heart Parish – Ewen, MI (1970s–1980s)
• Immaculate Conception Parish – Iron Mountain, MI (1980s)
• St. Mary & St. Joseph Parish – Iron Mountain, MI (dates not consistently specified in public records)

Non-Church Assignments: Provided pastoral counseling and informal youth supervision connected to parish activities, including interactions with altar servers and minors outside formal liturgical settings.

Known Allegations

Public records, investigative reports, and court filings describe a pattern of sexual abuse by Gary Allen Jacobs involving multiple minors during his service as a Catholic priest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, primarily in Ewen and Iron Mountain, during the early to mid-1980s. 

The allegations center on Jacobs exploiting his position of authority and trust as a parish priest to gain private access to boys, many of whom were altar servers or otherwise involved in parish life. Survivors reported abuse occurring in church buildings, rectories, parish-related outings, and private homes, often after Jacobs cultivated trust with the victims’ families. 

Although warning signs existed earlier, including the discovery of explicit photographs involving minors in 1982, Church officials did not act decisively at that time, and the matter was not formally reported to the Diocese until 1988, when Jacobs was removed from ministry and sent for treatment. 

Decades later, multiple victims came forward through the Michigan Attorney General’s clergy abuse tip line, leading investigators to identify numerous allegations spanning several victims, some of which were barred from prosecution by statutes of limitation, while others remained chargeable because Jacobs had left the state. 

Law enforcement ultimately deemed several allegations substantiated, resulting in criminal prosecutions in Ontonagon and Dickinson counties, while Church authorities acknowledged the credibility of the reports, removed Jacobs from ministry, and later sought his dismissal from the clerical state.

Summary: Gary Allen Jacobs was accused of sexually abusing minors while serving as a Catholic priest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during the early 1980s and, as a result, was criminally prosecuted, convicted through guilty pleas, sentenced to prison, removed from ministry, and formally laicized by the Church.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods

• Bishop Mark F. Schmitt – Diocese of Marquette
• Bishop Alexander K. Sample – Diocese of Marquette

Institutional Actions and Review

Institutional records and investigative findings show that concerns about Gary Allen Jacobs existed years before any public disclosure, but were not acted upon promptly. 

Church officials were first placed on notice no later than 1988, when another priest reported that explicit photographs involving minors had been discovered years earlier among Jacobs’ belongings, evidence that had been found as early as 1982 but not reported at the time.

Following the 1988 report, the Diocese of Marquette removed Jacobs from parish ministry, accepted his resignation from the pastorate, and sent him out of state for evaluation and treatment at a clerical treatment facility in New Mexico. 

Subsequent correspondence from the diocesan bishop formally restricted him from functioning publicly as a priest or presenting himself as clergy in any capacity, and when Jacobs failed to return or comply, the Diocese designated him as having abandoned ministry. 

Years later, after additional internal review and long after Jacobs had ceased active ministry, the Diocese petitioned Rome for dismissal from the clerical state, which was granted through Vatican-approved laicization in 2010, and Jacobs was added to the public list of Michigan clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Timeline

1971 — Ordained in the Archdiocese of Marquette

1970s–1980s — Served in multiple parish ministries within the Diocese of Marquette 

1974–1984 — Jacobs was alleged to have sexually abused minors during this period

1982 — Explicit photographs involving minors were reportedly discovered by another priest among Jacobs’ belongings in a rectory, but were not reported to Church authorities at that time

1988 — Church officials were formally notified of concerns; Jacobs was removed from parish ministry, resigned from the pastorate, and was sent out of state for evaluation and treatment

1989 — Diocesan correspondence placed Jacobs on a leave of absence and required him to live as a lay person

1990 — The diocesan bishop issued a written order prohibiting Jacobs from functioning publicly as a priest or presenting himself as clergy in any capacity

2004 — The Diocese petitioned the Vatican to dismiss Jacobs from the clerical state

2010 — Vatican-approved laicization formally dismissed Jacobs from the priesthood

2020 — Arrested in New Mexico following criminal charges filed by the Michigan Attorney General

2020 — Additional victims came forward, resulting in expanded criminal charges across Ontonagon and Dickinson counties

April–May 2021 — Entered guilty pleas in Ontonagon County and Dickinson County to multiple counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct

May–July 2021 — Sentenced to concurrent 8–15-year prison terms; lifetime sex offender registration and electronic monitoring imposed

Speak With an Attorney

If you experienced sexual abuse involving Gary Allen Jacobs or another Catholic priest in Michigan, you may still be entitled to pursue a civil claim. The Injury Lawyer Team assists survivors of clergy abuse throughout the state.

Reach out today to schedule a private consultation with a Michigan clergy abuse attorney and learn what legal options may be available to you.

Sources and Public Records

This page is based on public records, official Church disclosures, court proceedings, and investigative reporting, including the following sources:

• The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s 2022 investigative report on the Diocese of Marquette, which documents allegations involving Gary Allen Jacobs, internal Church records, institutional responses, criminal case outcomes, and his eventual dismissal from the clerical state.
• A compiled accused-cleric profile maintained by BishopAccountability.org, aggregating diocesan disclosures, assignment history, laicization status, and publicly reported developments related to Jacobs.
• An investigative news report that details Jacobs’ guilty pleas, sentencing terms, and imprisonment following criminal prosecutions in Ontonagon and Dickinson counties.

No criminal conviction is implied unless explicitly supported by court records or official law enforcement reporting.

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.