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Sexual abuse suit against priest who hanged himself settled

Last updated Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - 1:07pm

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Diocese of San Angelo Bishop Michael Pfeifer said the recent settlement of a sexual abuse lawsuit against the diocese in no way meant it accepted the accusations against one of its former priests.

Child Sex Abuse, Crime, Catholic Church, Lawsuit, Priest, Priest sex abuse, National Read more Comments

Priest lived with ex-hooker, abused drugs, superiors say

Ryan Sabalow Redding Record Searchlight

Last updated Thursday, July 7, 2011 - 11:41am

REDDING, Calif. -- The superiors of a popular Catholic priest said he lived with a former prostitute, abused alcohol and drugs, enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and did a number of other unpriestly things.

In a statement released Tuesday, The Rev. Gerard Sheehan, of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, wrote that The Rev. John Corapi had lived with a ex-hooker and repeatedly abused alcohol and drugs.

Catholic Church, Priest, National Read more Comments

Priest's $300,000 theft puts spotlight on gambling addiction

Art Barnum, Chicago Tribune, John Keilman

Last updated Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 9:01am

CHICAGO -- Within weeks of arriving at St. Walter Catholic Church in Roselle, Ill., the Rev. John Regan began stealing from the collection plate to fund his gambling addiction.

He stashed checks in a private bank account and spent the money at casinos in Elgin and Joliet. He lost big, blowing $116,000 in less than a year at one of the riverboats, prosecutors say. By the time the Diocese of Joliet figured out what was going on, Regan, who last week pleaded guilty to theft, had taken nearly $300,000.

It's a striking case but not an unusual one, say addiction counselors, and it illustrates a problem they expect to grow if gambling expands in Illinois.

Crime, Gambling, Priest, National Read more Comments

Mobster used priest to pass on criminal plots from prison

Chicago Tribune

Last updated Friday, June 10, 2011 - 9:49am

CHICAGO -- Frank Calabrese Sr. would seem to have plenty to talk to a priest about.

The feared Outfit hit man is serving a life sentence for killing more than a dozen people -- a conviction based largely on testimony from his own brother and son at the landmark Family Secrets trial.

Since his conviction, investigators have liquidated much of his ill-gained wealth, even finding nearly $1 million in cash and jewels hidden behind the walls of his former suburban home. Inside federal prison, the 74-year-old mobster lives in extraordinary solitude, forbidden from speaking to other inmates or guards because of allegations he tried to have a federal prosecutor killed for putting him there.

On Thursday prosecutors alleged that Calabrese used those rare moments of human contact to entice a most unlikely target to join in his criminal schemes -- the Rev. Eugene Klein, then chaplain and one of very few people allowed to speak to Calabrese at the federal prison in Springfield, Mo.

Crime, Mob, Priest, National Read more Comments

Guilty plea expected from priest accused of stealing collection plate money

Art Barnum, Chicago Tribune

Last updated Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 3:56pm

CHICAGO -- A Roman Catholic priest accused of stealing more than $300,000 from the collection plates of his Illinois parish to feed his gambling addiction is expected to plead guilty Thursday to theft, a charge that could earn him a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

The Rev. John F. Regan, 47, the former pastor of St. Walter parish, in Roselle, Ill., is expected to enter a blind plea to a single count of theft, his attorney, John Donahue, told DuPage Judge John Kinsella Tuesday.

A blind plea means no sentence has been agreed upon by the prosecutors and defense. Kinsella will sentence Regan at a future hearing. The crime of theft over $100,000 carries a four- to 15-year prison sentence, but a defendant is also eligible for probation.

Crime, Priest, Theft, National Read more Comments