Joel Wright, the Steubenville seminarian caught trying to buy children in order to sexually molest them, pleaded guilty to federal charges of trying to entice a minor.
He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Authorities released some of the emails Wright exchanged with undercover agents. You can read some of them here. But a warning: they’re repulsive.
Click here to listen to my interview/discussion today on a California bill that would eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for sex crimes.
AirTalk with Larry Mantle on KPCC, 89.3 FM, Southern California Public Radio.
Victims of sex crimes have won another battle in the effort to extend the criminal statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault.
SB 813, sponsored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), which seeks to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for rape and related crimes, passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee yesterday. Witnesses in support of the legislation included attorneys for alleged victims of comedian Bill Cosby and the district attorney of San Bernardino County.
The current statute is ten years, unless there is DNA evidence.
If made into law, SB 813 will be a huge win for rape victims who simply want the right to be able to use the court system to get justice and put rapists behind bars.
On the heels of another devastating grand jury report, which outlined how the Catholic Diocese of Altoona covered up for priests who sexually abused hundreds of children, legislators there won a huge victory for victims of child sexual abuse.
State Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Muhlenberg Township Democrat, introduced a key amendment to House Bill 1947 extending the civil rights of child victims. The amendment, which passed the State House yesterday, extends the age that victims of child sex abuse can come forward and use the civil justice system from age 30 to age 50.
What’s more important to note is that the the extension is retroactive, meaning that if you are a victim from Pennsylvania who is between the ages of 30 and 50, you can take advantage of civil justice.
The bill, which was passed by the full House yesterday, is now on to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mark Rozzi, a victim of child sex abuse himself, is truly the hero of this story. His tenacity and determination have helped him change the lives of crime victims across the state.
Yeah, even I was surprised.
Parishioners at Los Angeles Archdiocese’s St. Kateri Church were not pleased when they were informed that disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony was going to perform their parish confirmations.
From the Santa Clarita Valley Signal:
Brooke Bambrick is among the outraged. Growing up Catholic, her father was a deacon at St. Monica’s. When he found out about the widespread coverups and Mahony’s failure to hold abusers accountable and protect the abused, he decided the family should leave the Catholic Church.
“He thought it was hypocritical of the church,” said Bambrick. “Mahony protected the priests and shuffled them around, that’s a crime, and a crime against kids.”
Now that Mahony is coming to Saint Kateri, she is outraged and believes the church should request another Bishop for the ceremony.
“It is an atrocity that he is able to step foot in a church,” she said. “He ignored the facts and allowed people to do atrocious things to children. The Catholic Church didn’t handle it correctly and he shouldn’t officiate at such a large church here in the valley.”
But instead of just “taking it,” parishioners decided to do something.
Reports are now saying that the parish filed a formal complaint with Archbishop Gomez and that the Los Angeles prelate approved the removal of Mahony from their services. [[Update: LA’s Channel 9 news ran the story at 10 pm April 7.]]
Good job. Now it’s time to remove him from everything else. I wonder if there is a formal complaint form for that issue.
My friend Manny Vega and I had the opportunity to make a video for Buzzfeed about our experience as survivors of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Thanks to producer Ricky Sans for the amazing end product.