CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Catholic [Archdiocese of Chicago IL]
March 27, 2025
By Michelle Martin
The Archdiocese of Chicago filed a countersuit March 24 against two people who claimed they were sexually abused by former priest Daniel McCormack as well as five other people, alleging that the individuals were part of a yearslong conspiracy to fraudulently obtain financial settlements from the archdiocese.
The suit’s purpose is to stop fraudulent claims from being made and to protect the interests of legitimate victim-survivors of clerical sexual abuse and the archdiocese, according to James Geoly, the archdiocese’s general counsel.
“The point of this action is to protect the interests of legitimate victims,” Geoly said. “We do not want this action to deter any legitimate victim from coming forward. I would encourage anybody who’s had a problem with a priest or cleric to do that.”
“We have always and continue to encourage victim-survivors to come forward,” emphasized Leah Heffernan, senior director of the archdiocese’s Office for the Protection of Children and Youth. “A thousand percent. We continue to want victim-survivors to come forward and tell their stories in whatever way they want to tell them.”
According to the archdiocese’s legal complaint, the defendants and several other people referred to – all identified as John Does – shared information about how to claim they had been abused by McCormack when he was pastor of St. Agatha Parish in North Lawndale and running a basketball program for neighborhood children, despite not having participated in the program or having been to the church.
The complaint alleges that the defendants engaged in racketeering and conspiracy to defraud the archdiocese of money that could be used for the archdiocese’s legitimate purposes, including settlements and support for those who truly have suffered abuse by clergy.
“This was a very egregious case of very bad behavior,” Geoly said. “We have a very open, compassionate system, and these people took advantage of that.”
Allegations against McCormack became public in early 2006, along with news that he had been taken into custody for questioning by Chicago police in 2005 when a child came forward and said McCormack had abused him. He wasn’t charged in 2005 because of a lack of corroborating evidence, and he was allowed to remain at his parish.
After being arrested again and then charged in 2006, McCormack pled guilty the following year to fondling five young boys at St. Agatha.
Geoly said that immediately after the arrest, many more people came forward with allegations of abuse by McCormack, who was ordained in 1994. Those cases were generally seen as legitimate and the victims were offered financial settlements as well as counseling and other support, he said.
Over the years, more people have come forward saying they were abused by McCormack, enough that Geoly could not say exactly how many.
In 2017, the archdiocese presented evidence that one person who had claimed he was abused by McCormack had planned to fraudulently make the claim during phone calls with his cousin while he was in state prison. The cousin had previously received such a settlement.
Inmates in Cook County Jail and Illinois state correctional facilities are advised that phone calls are recorded.
In that case, the court later imposed sanctions on the claimant for making allegations that “were not well grounded in fact,” and did so again with another claimant in 2023, according to the archdiocese’s suit.
The defendants in the countersuit are connected with one another and with close to two dozen other unnamed people through a web of gang and familial ties, as well as bonds of friendship and neighborhood. According to the suit, in some cases, people who successfully received settlements advanced money to others who were making their own claims, with the understanding that they would get a share of any new settlements.
At times, there were disputes and beatings over the money, the suit alleges.
Most of the evidence comes from recordings of thousands of hours jail and prison phone calls subpoenaed by the archdiocese and combed through by its lawyers.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Geoly said. Still, he did not expect the extent of the network that was found.
“When I read the draft of the complaint, I was surprised by the extent of it,” he said.
Heffernan said that victim-survivors have told her that they are revictimized by people making false claims, because it makes it more likely that legitimate claims will not be believed and because they take up time and resources that could be used to help victim-survivors.
“When someone comes forward, we will listen to them and to listen to their story,” Heffernan said.
All victim-survivors who contact the office are advised of their right to report abuse to civil authorities and encouraged to meet with the office’s child abuse investigations director and with its assistance ministry director, who can explain the support the office provides and what the next steps are, she said.
“The primary purpose of this office is the safety of children, the well-being of the community and the integrity of the church,” Heffernan said.