Search Results for: DeLorenzo

A Michigan priest pleaded guilty this week to sexually assaulting a five year old boy after he had officiated a funeral service for a family member.

Vincent Delorenzo, 84, formerly of Flint, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Delorenzo was a former priest with the Lansing Diocese.

The assault happened in 1987. 

In exchange for his guilty plea, the remaining charges will be dismissed.

Those charges related to the sexual assault of a child from 1995 to 2000, while he was a student at Holy Redeemer School and Church in Burton. 

Delorenzo was living in Florida when was charged with four other priests in May 2019.

Vincent Delorenzo Complaint and Affidavit by John Dodge on Scribd

While the crime occurred more than 10 years ago, Michigan’s statute of limitations did not apply in this case.   

…

May 22, 2024

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report (PDF) by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of abuse that took place in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. 

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: To see our cache of AG Nessel’s report on Kalamazoo, click here.]

The report was released to acknowledge the reports of abuse from victims and to report the Department’s findings. The document is a compilation of excerpts from the information obtained from the tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, open-source media, paper documents seized from the Diocese of Kalamazoo, and the electronic documents found on the diocesan computers, as well as reports of allegations disclosed by the Diocese. 

The list of priests for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since January 1, 1950, for the Diocese of Kalamazoo that was established in 1971, is derived from…

Former Catholic priest Vincent DeLorenzo died Friday morning while serving a one-year sentence at the Genesee County Jail.

FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) – A former Flint-area priest serving a one-year jail sentence for a child sex crime died in custody Friday morning.

Vincent DeLorenzo pleaded guilty last April to one count of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a young male attending a funeral service at Holy Redeemer Parish in Burton in the 1980s.

He was about halfway through his one-year sentence at the Genesee County Jail when his attorney, Mike Manley, says DeLorenzo became ill last weekend. Authorities transferred DeLorenzo to an area hospital, where he died Friday.

Manley thanked the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office for acting compassionately to make sure DeLorenzo received appropriate end of life medical care.

DeLorenzo admitted to sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy after a funeral service for the boy’s deceased family member.

During his 20-year…

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday announced the release of a report by the AG about allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Gaylord.

The report includes a list of priests from the Diocese of Gaylord for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since January 1, 1950.

The AG intends to release reports on abuse allegations for each of the Catholic Dioceses in Michigan, the first of which detailed the investigation into the Diocese of Marquette.

“The information is being released to the public as an acknowledgment to the victims of these alleged crimes and as a public accounting of the resources allocated to the Department of Attorney General to investigate and prosecute clergy abuse,” AG Nessel said in a news release Monday. “It is important to note, a criminal charge is merely an…

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of abuse that took place in the Diocese of Gaylord.

The report was released to acknowledge the reports of abuse from victims, and to report out the Department’s findings. The document is a compilation of the information obtained from the Department of Attorney General tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, open-source media, paper documents seized from the Diocese, and electronic documents found on the Diocesan computers, as well as reports of allegations disclosed by the Diocese.

The list of priests for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since January 1, 1950, for the Diocese of Gaylord that was established in 1971, is derived from information gleaned from a search warrant that was executed against the Diocese of Gaylord on October 3,…

The Michigan Attorney General’s office announced earlier this month that after five years since the investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church began, the office has wrapped up all active cases against clergy members with many incidents dating back decades.

Victims of sexual abuse and/or assault in need of additional resources should contact 855-VOICES4.

A total of 11 Catholic priests were charged in the statewide investigation. Back in 2018, the Department of Attorney General executed search warrants for all of Michigan’s dioceses, reporting that they seized 220 boxes of documents and more than 3.5 million digital documents.  

“Our team continues to work day and night to bring an end to an era of abuse that has hidden in plain sight for far too long and provide justice to those who have suffered years of unimaginable trauma,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement this…

Yesterday, former Ann Arbor Catholic priest Timothy Crowley, 74, was sentenced to one year of incarceration at the Washtenaw County Jail and five years’ probation, on two counts of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC), announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Crowley, who pled guilty in August, was additionally sentenced by Judge Patrick Conklin in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County to receive sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.   

Crowley, who had been a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was arrested in 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. His case was initially dismissed after a preliminary examination, but the Attorney General’s office prevailed in the Court of Appeals. He was originally charged by the State with four felony counts of First-Degree CSC and four felony counts of Second-Degree CSC, for alleged crimes against one victim.  

Crowley is the…

A former Flint-area Catholic priest convicted of the attempted sexual abuse of a 5-year-old boy in the late 1980s, was sentenced Tuesday to a year in jail and probation.

Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, was sentenced June 13 by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Brian S. Pickell after previously pleading guilty to a single count of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a five-year felony.

The sentence followed the framework of the plea, which called for five years probation and one year incarceration at the Genesee County Jail.

“As terribly damaging, harmful and traumatic as all sexual abuse is, (abuse) involving child victims is even more devastating,” Pickell said.

DeLorenzo chose not to speak prior to being sentence.

“Justice did come for the victims in this case,” his attorney, Michael Manley, said.

DeLorenzo was arrested in May 2019 while living in Marion County, Florida. He was…

A Michigan Catholic priest who was removed from active ministry in 2002 after a sexual abuse complaint was brought against him pleaded guilty in state court April 25 to charges of sexually abusing a 5-year-old boy in 1987.

Since the first complaint was brought to the Diocese of Lansing against Father Vincent Delorenzo in 2002, seven more accusations have been brought against him to the diocese, where he served as a priest from 1965 to 2002, the Diocese of Lansing said in an April 25 press release.

The criminal charge alleged that Delorenzo sexually assaulted the boy after officiating a funeral service for the boy’s deceased family member. The accusation stemmed from a complaint brought to the diocese in 2018, which was forwarded to law enforcement.

Originally charged with three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct, Delorenzo…

A former Flint-area priest accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy more than 30 years ago pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel Tuesday announced Vincent Delorenzo, 84, a former priest with the Lansing Diocese, was pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy following a service he officiated for the boy’s deceased family member in 1987.

Delorenzo was among the first five priests charged by Nessel on a total of 21 counts involving sexual crimes allegedly committed while they served as priests in Michigan as part of her office’s clergy abuse investigation. Delorenzo was arrested in late May 2019 in Marion County, Florida where he moved to in 2008, according to an affidavit by Michigan State Police detective Craig Carberry.

In exchange for his guilty plea, the remaining charges Delorenzo was facing were dismissed, according to a Tuesday…

A former Michigan priest accused of abusing a child in the 1980s has pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct, state officials announced Tuesday.

Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, formerly of Flint, was one of the initial five priests accused by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in 2019 as part of an ongoing investigation into clerical sexual abuse.

According to a statement from the authorities, DeLorenzo’s guilty plea is related to allegations that he sexually molested a 5-year-old kid after officiating the boy’s relative’s burial in 1987.

When a defendant departs the state for any reason, the statute of limitations in Michigan is suspended. DeLorenzo was detained in Florida’s Marion County in 2019. SNAP believes DeLorenzo had intimate knowledge about a fellow priest accused of abuse in 2007. While we applaud the heroic efforts of AG Nessel in investigating and securing convictions of abusive clergy, it comes…

The Diocese of Lansing today expressed gratitude to the victims of Genesee County-based priest, Reverend Vincent DeLorenzo, after the 84-year-old pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.

“It was the bravery of those victims who came forward with testimony against DeLorenzo that helped to secure today’s conviction – for that, those individuals have our gratitude, our support and, of course, our prayers that they find both healing and peace,” said spokesman for the Diocese of Lansing, David Kerr, April 25.

“DeLorenzo’s actions were as gravely immoral as they were illegal, he besmirched the good name of the Catholic priesthood, he betrayed the trust put in him by the Catholic community of the Diocese of Lansing and, most disturbingly, he damaged the lives in his young victims.”

DeLorenzo’s guilty plea today relates to the sexual assault of a five-year-old boy in 1987. It was in 2002 that…

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced that Vincent Delorenzo, 84, formerly of Flint, Michigan pled guilty to one count of attempted criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.

Delorenzo, a former priest with the Lansing Diocese, was among the first five priests charged by Nessel in late May 2019. He is pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy following a service he officiated for the boy’s deceased family member in 1987. In exchange for his guilty plea today, the remaining charges will be dismissed. These charges related to the sexual assault of a child from 1995-2000, while he was a student at Holy Redeemer School and Church in Burton, Michigan.

While the crime occurred more than 10 years ago, Michigan’s statute of limitations is tolled when a defendant leaves the state for any reason within the statute of limitations and resumes if and when the defendant returns to the state….

FLINT, Mich. (FOX 2) – A former Michigan priest pleaded guilty this week to the sexual assault of a 5-year-old boy after a funeral service in 1987.

Vincent Delorenzo, 84, had officiated a service for the child’s deceased family member before the assault, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said.

In exchange for his guilty plea, charges stemming from the sexual assault of another child from 1995-2000, while he was a student at Holy Redeemer School and Church in Burton, were dismissed. 

Delorenzo’s victims will have the opportunity to provide impact statements when he is sentenced June 13. Per his plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to five years of probation, with the first year served in the Genesee County Jail. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life, engage in sex offender counseling, and pay restitution.

“Our team continues to work day and…

FLINT, MI – A former Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting underage boys may stand trial just shy of four years after being charged with several counts of criminal sexual conduct.

Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, is scheduled to face a jury at a trial before Genesee County Circuit Judge Brian S. Pickell on April 26, online court records show.

DeLorenzo, a former Flint-area priest accused of sexually assaulting two boys in the mid-1990s, when the alleged victims were under 13 years old, appeared before Pickell on Monday, March 27, for a final pretrial hearing.

It was at that hearing that Sara Coaster, a defense attorney representing DeLorenzo, and the prosecutor on the case, assistant attorney general Danielle Hagaman-Clark, told the judge they were prepared to head to trial.

“Father DeLorenzo has denied these specific allegations,” Michael Manley, an attorney handling the former priests case told MLive-The…

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of abuse that took place in the Marquette Catholic Diocese. A video providing an overview of the report is included.

The report was released in the interest of the public and to acknowledge the reports of alleged abuse from victims.  The document is a compilation of the information obtained from the Department of Attorney General tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, open-source media, paper documents seized from the Diocese, and electronic documents found on the Diocesan computers, as well as reports of allegations disclosed by the Diocese.

The list of priests for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since January 1, 1950, is derived from information gleaned from a search warrant that was executed against the Diocese of Marquette on October 3, 2018.  There…

44 priests accused of abuse, grooming and misuse of authority

Michigan’s Sexual Assault Hotline is free, anonymous and available 24/7 by calling 1-855-864-2374 or texting 1-866-238-1454.

A detailed report has been released by the Michigan attorney general’s office regarding allegations of sexual abuse that took place in the Marquette Catholic Diocese.

The report includes information from the attorney general’s tipline, interviews with survivors, police investigations, open-source media, paper and electronic documents seized from the diocese and reports of allegations disclosed by the diocese.

Nessel said the report was released in the interest of the public and to acknowledge reports of alleged abuse from survivors.

Nessel provided a statement via video, which you can watch below:

(Can’t see the video? Click here)

Abuse allegations date back to 1950; 44 priests on list

There is a list of priests who have faced allegations of sexual…

A former priest in Oakland County has pleaded guilty to sex abuse, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today. 

Gary Berthiaume, 79, was sent to trial in July by Judge James Brady in Oakland County’s 47th District Court on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), 15-year felonies. That development involved the original case against him, which was charged last year. 

In June, Berthiaume was charged with additional felonies in two new cases. Both cases were sent to trial by the end of September. 

All three cases stem from allegations of abuse in the 1970s involving three different victims who were between 13- and 15-years-old at the time. Berthiaume was a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte and later Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington during that timeframe. 

Monday before Judge Daniel O’Brien, Berthiaume pleaded guilty to the following: 

• two counts of second-degree CSC, 15-year felonies. 

He pleaded no contest to a third charge: 

• one count of gross indecency, a…

Five more former students have filed lawsuits against the West Essex Regional School District and the estate of a middle school teacher who they say sexually abused them. 

Marc Cortese, Robert Swiatek, Kenneth Williamson, Bruce DeLorenzo and K.M. Doe joined two others who recently sued the district and Michael Petrucelli, who was a history and photography teacher at West Essex Middle School.

John Baldante, attorney for the seven men, called Petrucelli a “prolific pedophile.” Petrucelli died in 2014 at age 92.

Scott Reynolds and Peter Bonastia filed their suits at the end of August, accusing Petrucelli of sexually assaulting them multiple times in 1978. The new set of lawsuits allege that Petrucelli sexually assaulted the five men between 1977 and 1985. They were all age 13 at the start of the alleged abuse.

In the latest accusations against Petrucelli, the abuse ranges from pinches on the buttocks to horrific sexual assault….

LANSING (MI)
Associated Press via U.S. News and World Report

February 6, 2020

A former Roman Catholic priest in Michigan will be tried on sexual assault charges for allegedly abusing a 5-year-old boy after a 1987 family funeral, Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday.

Vincent DeLorenzo was bound over for trial after a hearing before Grand Blanc District Court Judge Christopher Odette. The judge also increased DeLorenzo’s bond from $100,000 to $200,000. He remains in Genesee County Jail.

DeLorenzo, 81, is accused of abusing the boy from 1995 to 2000. The child was a student at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church school in Burton. The alleged victim testified he was raped by DeLorenzo in the second grade. Defense attorney Michael Manley has said his client “maintains his innocence.”

Although the alleged crime took place more than 10 years ago, Michigan’s statute of limitations is suspended when a defendant leaves the…

FLINT (MI)
ABC 12/WJRT

February 5, 2020

Bond doubled as Flint-area priest bound over to trial

A former Catholic priest is facing trial on sex charges dating back to his work at parishes in Burton and Flushing in the 1980s to 2000s.

Vincent DeLorenzo is facing three counts of first-degree and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct from 1995 to 2000 in one case and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct from 1987 in the second case.

DeLorenzo is accused of touching a boy inappropriately more than a hundred times from 1995 to 2000. The now-30-year-old testified he was in elementary school at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Burton.

The man said the abuse ranged from groping to DeLorenzo digitally penetrating him.

“I thought it was tickling. I thought it was fun. And he turned it into somewhat of a game at first,” he testified.

The alleged…

SAGINAW (MI)
WMEN TV

Dec. 27, 2019

By Markie Heideman

Seven priests have been charged in Michigan in 2019 for clergy abuse and the investigation is ongoing, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Nessel took over the investigation from former Attorney General Bill Schuette. Since the beginning of the investigation, more than 640 tips have been received.

The attorney general said 552 victims have been identified and 270 priests have been named as abusers.

Currently, 130 cases are being investigated or reviewed for potential charges. Of those cases, about 50 cases have been closed based on the statute of limitations or the deaths of the priests involved. Forty-five of the cases are actively being investigated and 25 cases have been referred to the Diocese for further action.

Of the seven currently charged, Patrick Casey and Brian Stanley have already pleaded guilty, according to officials. Casey has been sentenced to…

DETROIT (MI)
Detroit News

Nov. 13, 2019

By Beth LeBlanc

After resigning from Holy Redeemer Parish in 2002, the Rev. Vincent DeLorenzo penned a letter to Burton parishioners admitting to “inappropriate sexual contact with a minor” in the 1980s.

The former Flint area priest was removed from ministry and moved to Florida a little less than six years later, free of charges because the statute of limitations barred prosecution.

More than 17 years later, DeLorenzo was arrested in the backyard of his Summerfield, Florida, home on remarkably similar allegations by the Michigan attorney general’s office.

On May 23, police collected the 80-year-old priest’s medicine and took him to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, where he waived his Miranda rights and allowed police to search his phone, according to a Michigan State Police report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

DeLorenzo is one of at least five priests…

LANSING (MI)
WILX 10 NBC

September 27, 2019

On Friday, the Catholic Diocese of Lansing released the names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

There were 17 priests named, of which eight are dead, according to the Diocese of Lansing’s list.

Among the nine still alive, the State Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday that two on the list from the Lansing area have court dates scheduled this fall, they are Timothy Crowley and Vincent DeLorenzo.

The Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, said, “The Lansing Diocese has taken an important step today by publicly sharing information about priests who have been credibly accused of abusing minors. We welcome this transparency by the Diocese and will continue to work on our own efforts to pursue justice for the victims of clergy abuse.”

After the release of the names, Nessel’s office released an update on each of the charged defendants.

…

LANSING (MI)
WWMT Newschannel 3

Sept. 17, 2019

By Heidi Paxson

Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Vincent DeLorenzo, a former Genesee Count priest with the Lansing Diocese, with an additional Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) charge.

Nessel’s office announced the additional CSC charge on Tuesday.

The additional charge accused DeLorenzo of sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy in 1987 after a funeral service he officiated for the boy’s family.

The Attorney Generals office wrote in a news release that Michigan’s statute of limitations is tolled when a defendant leaves the state for any reason within the statute of limitations and resumes if and when the defendant returns to the state.

The additional charge is a felony punishable by up to life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring.

The 80-year-old former priest was one of the five priests charged by Nessel in May 2019.

“As we continue to review the…

LANSING (MI)
WILX News 10

June 28, 2019

The Michigan Attorney General’s office has released an update on the defendants charged in the Clergy Abuse Investigation.

Patrick Casey had a probable cause conference on May 30. The defendant waived his preliminary exam before the Wayne County 18th District Court Judge Mark A. McConnell. An arraignment on information is scheduled for July 18 in the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court. The defendant is out on bond.

Timothy Crowley is being extradited from Tempe, Arizona and will be delivered to Washtenaw County Jail in early July.

Vincet DeLorenzo has been extradited from Marion County, Florida and delivered to Genesee County Jail on June 17 and was arraigned on June 18. His probable cause conference was adjourned to Aug, 1 for discovery. The defendant is out on bond.

Neil Kalina was extradited from Los Angeles County, California and delivered to Macomb County…

FLINT (MI)
Flint Journal

June 27, 2019

By Roberto Acosta

A court hearing has been postponed weeks for a former Flint-area priest accused of sexually assaulting a young boy at a Burton Catholic church.

Vincent DeLorenzo, 80, was scheduled for a probable cause conference on Thursday, June 27 in Genesee District Court after being formally arraigned last week on three counts each of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Mike Manley, DeLorenzo’s attorney, made a brief appearance in court Thursday afternoon when it was decided the hearing would be moved to early August. DeLorenzo was not in court.

The charges against DeLorenzo and four other priests were announced May 24 by Attorney General Dana Nessel.

A five or six-year old boy who attended primary school at a Catholic Church in Burton from 1995 – 2000 is the alleged victim of sexual assault by a former Flint-area…

DETROIT (MI)
Detroit News

June 13, 2019

By Beth LeBlanc

None of the priests facing sexual misconduct charges stemming from Attorney General Dana Nessel’s investigation into clergy abuse in Michigan will get help paying for their legal defense from the Michigan dioceses where they used to work.

Most will, however, continue receiving retirement benefits through their diocesan retirement plans because pensions are protected by federal law.

For others not yet of retirement age, Michigan’s various dioceses are required by canon or church law to provide “sustenance” for their priests leading up to and even after a potential guilty verdict.

In May, Nessel charged five priests who had worked in three Michigan dioceses with sexual misconduct charges as part of the attorney general’s investigation in clergy sexual abuse in Michigan’s seven dioceses. At the time, Nessel said the charges were “just the tip of the iceberg” and more legal action…

LANSING (MI)
Associated Press via New York Times

May 24, 2019

A Catholic priest who admitted when he resigned from a Flint-area parish that he had sexually abused a child has been charged with several counts of sexual assault dating back decades.

The Detroit News and The Flint Journal report that prosecutors charged 80-year-old Vincent DeLorenzo on Thursday with six counts of both first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The Diocese of Lansing says eight people have accused DeLorenzo of sexual abuse and that he’s being defrocked.

Court records list DeLorenzo as a Lantana, Florida, resident, but The Associated Press couldn’t find a listed phone number for him in that area and wasn’t able to reach him for comment.

LANSING (MI)
Office of the Attorney General

May 24, 2019

By Attorney General Dana Nessel

[Note: This announcement includes links to the criminal complaints and affidavits.]

Five men who were priests have been charged with a total of 21 counts of criminal sexual conduct, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced at a news conference this morning in Lansing. Four of the men have been arrested; one awaits extradition in India. A sixth Michigan priest is facing an administrative complaint and his license as a professional educationally limited counselor has been summarily suspended by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

“In the last 30 hours, more than a dozen members of our investigative team have been in courtrooms in Washtenaw, Wayne, Genesee, Macomb and Berrien Counties while other members of our team have been working with local law enforcement in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan – all…

GENESEE COUNTY (MI)
MLive

May 24, 2019

By Roberto Acosta

A former Flint-area Catholic priest is facing six felony charges dating back to his time in Genesee County.

Criminal charges were filed against Vincent DeLorenzo on Thursday, May 23, including three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to 67th District Court records.

The Diocese of Lansing issued a statement Thursday evening in response to an inquiry about DeLorenzo. The statement says, in part, that DeLorenzo is in the process of being defrocked for sexual misconduct.

The 80-year-old is listed as a Lantana, Florida resident in the court records. He has not yet been arraigned, but the diocese spelled out the former priest’s past troubles in its statement.