Conn. Priest Arrested on Firearms Charges

Houston Chronicle
July 19, 2013

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Conn-priest-arrested-on-firearms-charges-4675579.php

A Roman Catholic priest already under investigation over a complaint of alleged child sexual abuse was arrested Friday on federal firearms charges.

The Rev. Paul Gotta was charged with aiding and abetting the unlawful transport of a firearm and the purchase of a handgun by a juvenile, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Gotta's attorney, Moira Buckley, declined to comment.

Gotta is being held pending a detention hearing next week. Documents in the case were sealed.

Gotta, administrator of St. Philip and St. Catherine churches in East Windsor, was placed on paid leave last week, the same day the Archdiocese of Hartford learned of the abuse complaint and police investigation from the state Department of Children and Families, archdiocese spokeswoman Maria Zone said Tuesday. He has not been charged in that case.

The archdiocese announced the Gotta investigation in a statement posted on its website Sunday after parishioners were notified, Zone said. Details of the allegations weren't released.

The priest earlier this year alerted authorities about an 18-year-old East Windsor man who allegedly was making bombs at his home. The man was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to bomb and weapon charges