The Latest: Clergy abuse investigated in Buffalo, New York
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
PHILADELPHIA — The Latest on federal investigations of clergy abuse in Roman Catholic dioceses (all times local):
10:55 a.m.
Pennsylvania is not the only state where federal prosecutors are investigating clergy abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
An investigation of the Buffalo Diocese in New York state, begun months before the Pennsylvania probe, has also come to light.
The diocese confirmed late Thursday it received a subpoena from federal prosecutors in Buffalo. It said it reached an agreement to produce material months ago and has heard nothing of it since June. The subpoena was first reported by CBS News.There's no evidence the two investigations are related. The U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia began its investigation of Pennsylvania dioceses only after a state grand jury report in August identified hundreds of "predator priests" in a case that yielded few charges.
Buffalo's Bishop Richard Malone is under pressure to resign from critics of his handling of clergy abuse reports.
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12:30 a.m.
A federal prosecutor in Pennsylvania is taking aim at the Roman Catholic church by opening a grand jury investigation centered on child exploitation.
U.S. Attorney William McSwain is seeking a trove of sensitive documents to see if predator priests or their supervisors broke any federal laws involving the abuse of children or handling related complaints.
McSwain is a Harvard Law School graduate and former Marine sniper commander who was appointed by President Trump and took office in June.
His effort follows a sweeping state grand jury report this year that said about 300 priests had molested more than 1,000 children in Pennsylvania. But most of the complaints were decades old, and only a few could be prosecuted.
There's no clear sign that the Justice Department plans to broaden the probe past Pennsylvania. Both McSwain's office and a department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation.
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This is what happens when you allow this kind of thing to go on and on and make excuses for the offenders and protect them instead of taking care of the flock.
You have to wonder if at some point some enterprising Federal Prosecutor will start bandying around 'RICO'?