Missouri Catholic Priest Plead Guilty to Child Porn Charges
The former priest Shawn Ratigan pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child pornography using girls as young as 2 years old. The photos were taken with still cameras and a cell phone. They included close-up pictures of the young girls' private areas.
If convicted, he faces 15-30 years in prison on each of the five counts. He was arrested last year.
David Ketchmark, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri said:
"When a defendant who wears a religious collar who has the trust of a community engages in conduct of this nature his crimes are more devastating and more reprehensible. He will face stiff mandatory penalties. He won't have an opportunity to harm another child.The Huffington Post reported:
The catholic priest admitted to the judge through his guilty pleas that he had produced child pornography using five girls from 2005 to 2009. Ratigan also admits the photos were taken in several location which included a church choir loft.
A technician working on the priest's computer found hundreds of "troubling images" on the laptop in December 2010 and reported them to the diocese, which confronted Ratigan. The next day, Ratigan failed to...
Read the full report on Church Scandal Report
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