NEW YORK
The Citizens Voice
By Chris Birk, Staff Writer 08/12/2005
The Rev. Albert M. Liberatore offered an apology Wednesday in a New York City courtroom before receiving another probationary sentence stemming from his sexual relationship with a former altar boy, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.
Issued about 10 weeks after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempted sexual abuse, the sentencing marks the end of criminal proceedings against the Diocese of Scranton priest, clearing the path for one last legal battle - resolution of a federal civil suit filed by the victim and his family in November.
The suit, which names Liberatore, the Diocese of Scranton and a host of diocesan officials as defendants, could determine whether the diocese should be held accountable for the abuse.
Liberatore had faced three first-degree felony counts in New York, including sodomy and sexual assault, by far the most serious charges filed against the 41-year-old priest.
He admitted in May to initiating sexual contact with the victim during an overnight trip in a Greenwich Village hotel room.
He was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years' probation. He has to register as a sex offender in New York and cannot have unsupervised contact with minors.