Suspended priest guilty in sex case
JOHNSTOWN – A suspended Roman Catholic priest from Western Pennsylvania accused of traveling to Honduras to molest poor street children during missionary trips was convicted of five of eight counts.
A federal jury in Johnstown deliberated for more than 12 hours over two days before convicting the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr. Tuesday of the charges, which include three of four counts related to sex abuse of boys during trips to a Honduran orphanage.
The 70-year-old priest was suspended from Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Somerset County.
He was accused of traveling abroad from 2004 to 2009 to have sex with three young boys – a charge known as sexual tourism – and was also convicted of child pornography and illegally transferring money to help fund the trips.