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	Ex-Priest Wants Perjury Trial Moved out of Scott County By Ann McGlynn Quad-City Times November 10, 2008 http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/11/10/news/local/doc4919122f13f49218125827.txt?sPos=2 An ex-priest charged with perjury wants his trial to be moved from Scott County. James Janssen, 85, is accused of lying to the court during his nephew's attempt to collect a $1.4 million civil judgment against Janssen for sexual abuse. Janssen's name and photo have been published "extensively" in the past five years, including 123 times in the Quad-City Times alone, attorney Michael McCarthy wrote. The publicity, he argued, "concerns a particularly inflammable matter, i.e., the sexual abuse of minors by priests in the Catholic Church over the last 50 years. The defendant has been the most prominent target of the accusations of sexual abuse." With the "supersaturation" of publicity, McCarthy said, it is likely that a large portion of potential jurors are familiar with Janssen and have opinions about him. "This is particularly true here in Davenport, where there is a large Catholic population and the accusations of sex abuse of minors against the defendant contributed to the bankruptcy of the Diocese of Davenport." Janssen's attorney also asked that the jury in his criminal perjury trial never hear why Wells won the $1.4 million. "It is totally irrelevant to the perjury allegations whether the underlying judgment against the defendant was for sexual abuse, murder, breach of contract or ordinary negligence," McCarthy wrote. "The only purpose for offering such evidence would be to inflame the passions of the jury against the defendant." Thirdly, Janssen is asking for records concerning the number of perjury prosecutions in Scott County in the past 20 years. He thinks that prosecution for perjury is "so rare that he may be the victim of selective prosecution …" According to documents, Janssen lied in April 2006 when he testified under oath that he did not transfer assets to a family member in the 10 years preceding that date. He later admitted to transferring assets, including more than $700,000 in bonds to his sister, Dorothy. In July 2007, Janssen lied on his application for a court-appointed attorney on an accusation of contempt of court, documents say. He did not disclose ownership of and income from an annuity or that he had access to money with his sister to pay his expenses. And in October 2007, officials said, he falsely testified under oath that he did not know about $80,000 in savings bonds. He later produced a list of bonds and admitted they were given as gifts to friends and family. Janssen was jailed earlier this year for contempt of court for failing to produce his assets. He was removed from the priesthood in 2004 by Pope John Paul II. Believed to be the first-ever Davenport priest to be defrocked, Janssen was ordained in 1948. Janssen was a defendant in several civil suits alleging sex abuse, including the one filed by Wells. The others were dismissed after the victims reached settlements with the diocese. Ann McGlynn can be contacted at (563) 383-2336 or amcglynn@qctimes.com
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