Two more priests have been charged in the attorney general’s office clergy abuse probe, something Attorney General Dana Nessel said would be coming during a year-end roundtable with reporters in December.
Nessel on Friday announced that multiple charges have been filed in three Upper Peninsula counties against Gary Allen Jacobs and Roy Joseph, both former priests associated with the Catholic Diocese of Marquette.
“Our team continues to vigorously pursue this investigation to ensure justice for the victims who courageously come forward and identify their abusers,” said Nessel. “Our team of investigators are working day in and day out to hold these defendants accountable.”
Seven priests were previously charged in the probe in 2019 and two have pleaded guilty.
https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/12/25/nessel-to-charge-2-more-priests-in-clergy-probe-announce-pfas-suit/
Gary Allen Jacobs, 74, of Albuquerque, N.M., is charged with multiple criminal sexual conduct counts, with incidents reportedly occurring between 1981 and 1984 in Ontonagon County and in 1984 in Dickinson County.
Jacobs faces a total of seven charges in two separate cases in Ontonagon County. He’s being charged with six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child between the ages of 13 and 16, and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child between the ages of 13 and 16. In Dickinson County, Jacobs faces one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person under 13 years old.
Jacobs faces up to life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring for each of the first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, and up to 15 years in prison for each second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. He was arrested Friday, Jan. 17 in New Mexico and will face extradition to Michigan to face the charges.
Roy Joseph, 52, previously of Marquette, has been charged in Marquette County with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The incident allegedly occurred in 2006, while Joseph served as a priest in Marquette County. The felony crime is punishable by up to life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring. He currently resides in India.
To submit information about sexual abuse by a clergy member, please call 844-324-3374 (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.), email [email protected] or submit information anonymously online.
https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/05/24/nessel-announces-sexual-assault-charges-against-5-current-or-former-catholic-priests/
The attorney general’s office also announced the hire of Paul Carbini as its first full-time victim advocate for the Clergy Abuse Investigation Team.
Prior to joining the Criminal Division, Carbini served as the assistant director of direct services with Sexual Response at Columbia University in New York. He has experience working with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps speaking to service members and conducting trainings on sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.
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