Fairbanks Catholic Priest Sentenced to Ten Years for Child Sex Crimes

Alaska Native News
June 08, 2015

http://alaska-native-news.com/fairbanks-catholic-priest-sentenced-to-ten-years-for-child-sex-crimes-17718

The former Parish Priest of the Fairbanks Sacred Heart Cathedral was sentenced to 10 years in prison for child sex crimes. Image-Google Maps

It was announced by the Justice Department on Monday that a priest with the Fairbanks Catholic Diocese was sentenced on charges of for Attempted Enticement of a Minor on Friday by Chief United States District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline.

Clint Michael Landry, who has been with the Fairbanks Diocese since June of 2011, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release in connection with his plea agreement filed in May of 2014.

Landry “was caught using a work computer to receive images of child pornography through his Yahoo email account. A search of the computer found multiple sexually-explicit Instant Messages (IM) between the defendant and others believed to be located in the Philippines. In many of these IMs, the defendant is negotiating with a Filipino co-conspirator about viewing sexually explicit conduct involving minors through webcams and Skype communications,” DoJ’s Attorney Karen Loeffler reported.

According to the press release, Landry engaged in negotiations with people in the Philippines through at eight different Yahoo email accounts to view live videos and other streaming services of minors engaged in sexual conduct. In his communications, Landry sought videos of children younger than 11 years of age.

Some of the examples of Landry’s communications during the summer of 2013, included: 

• On June 13, 2013, the defendant communicated with a co-conspirator, asking “[c]an you show me young boys[?]” He went on to ask, “what handsome young boys do you have?” When told that the available “young boy” was 10 years old, the defendant’s response was “ok,” and he inquired “how much.” The defendant then attempted to offer 1600 Philippine pesos for online access to the child, or approximately $35.
• On July 26, 2013, the defendant initially resisted an offer to view an 11-year-old girl. However, when the only other option offered by the defendant’s co-conspirator was an 18-year-old male, the defendant “ask[ed] for your young show,” and said that he would “send money tomorrow.”
• On August 7, 2013, the defendant wrote, “I like to see you boy or girl because they are cute. Only see on yahoo.” When told by his co-conspirator that he had children available who were “10 and 8 yrs old,” the defendant replied, “I send you some western union tomorrow.”

Landry’s illegal conduct continued into 2014, when in May of that year, Landry contacted a person in the Philippines who he thought was a 16-year-old male minor. That person asked if he wanted to see an image of his organs, to which Landry said, “yes.” After which Landry offered the contact, $55 to supply him with live sex acts of the minor. Landry wired the money to the Philippines through a Western Union branch in Fairbanks for the show. The next day, Landry received 12 emails with sexually explicit images and videos of prepubescent males and females attached.

Judge Beistline said during sentencing, “These children are pawns [who] have nothing else but to sell their bodies,” and “carry the burden [of their abuse] with them forever, for a lifetime.”

Saying that Landry violated the trust that the parish had placed on him, he told Landry, “You are never acting out again, never doing anything again to hurt children.”

Landry was placed on leave in May of 2014 as the  FBI investigated the case.