Thread: Cardinal Mahony under federal fraud probe

Cardinal Mahony under federal fraud probe over abusive priests, sources say
The U.S. attorney in L.A. reportedly launched a grand jury investigation pursuing the theory that the prelate failed to adequately deal with such priests. Mahony's attorney says he's been told his client is not the target of the inquiry.
By Scott Glover and Jack Leonard
4:44 PM PST, January 28, 2009
The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the alleged molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved, is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, committed "honest services fraud" by failing to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.



Share your view. Join the discussion...One federal law enforcement source said such a prosecution could be brought under a federal statute that makes it illegal to "scheme . . . to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services."

In this case, the victims would be parishioners who relied on Mahony and other church leaders to keep their children safe from predatory priests, the source said. To convict on such a charge, prosecutors would have to prove that Mahony used the U.S. mail or some form of electronic communication in committing the alleged fraud, the source said.

O'Brien declined to comment, refusing to even confirm the existence of the investigation.


Mahony's attorney, J. Michael Hennigan, confirmed that federal prosecutors have contacted the archdiocese and requested "information about a number of individual priests, at least two of whom are deceased." He said he was also aware that some witnesses had testified before the panel.

But Hennigan said he has been informed that Mahony is not a target of the inquiry.

"We have been and will continue to be fully cooperative with the investigation," Hennigan said.

As the Catholic Church's highest-ranking official in Southern California, Mahony was dogged for years by allegations of covering up the sexual misconduct of priests. The district attorney's office launched a grand jury investigation into the archdiocese several years ago, but no charges were filed. Two years ago, the archdiocese agreed to pay $660 million to 508 people who accused priests of sexual abuse. The payout was the largest settlement in a scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church nationwide.

David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said he had not heard about the investigation but welcomed the new scrutiny of Mahony.

"It is long, long overdue," Clohessy said. "It is just crucial that the hierarchy face criminal charges, because almost every other conceivable means have been tried to bring reform."

Laurie Levenson, a Loyola Law School professor and former federal prosecutor, said the theory that prosecutors are pursuing is one usually reserved for cases against corporate executives accused of wrongdoing.

In Mahony's case, she said, prosecutors would have the difficult task of defining the "honest services" expected from a Catholic cardinal. Then they would have to convince jurors that criminal charges were not a stretch.

Levenson compared the prosecution strategy of using a novel interpretation of an existing law to the one employed in the recent case against a Missouri woman accused of using MySpace to bully a 13-year-old who later committed suicide. Jurors in that case acquitted the woman of the most serious charges.

"I'd put it in the category of creative lawyering," Levenson said. "It doesn't mean it's bad. But it will be challenging to not only get charges on these grounds but, if they get charges, to win a conviction."

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scott.glover@latimes.com

jack.leonard@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 2753.story

In one sense, isn't Mahony are corporate executive of the Vatican? Didn't he convey to the congregations that he was upholding the laws and morality bestowed upon us by God as written in the Bible? Has he not acted to cross the lines between church and state with his pandering to illegals, while smiling and transferring pederast priests to other churches while keeping secret their crimes against children? He seems to have violated any principle of being a conveyor of the lessons Catholicism and Christianity teaches us. Perhaps it is time for some creative lawyering.

All I can say is Wooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooo ... put him on trial and lock'em up

Last Sunday at church the Catholic Priest gave a sermon against abortion which was good, then he said he couldn't understand why the US let it continue. I thought well maybe if our Cardinals were not immoral regarding pedophelia and illegal aliens Americans might pay more attention to to their abortion argument. Their immorality on other issues has made Americans ignore anything they say.

Wow! Well, that is a direct torpedo to the bow!

W