Torres, 53, was convicted of capital sexual battery last November. A jury found that he had molested a young girl over nearly three years in Hernando County. Four of the nine counts against him required mandatory life sentences.

But the words of his brother at the sentencing hearing Thursday, not the reading of the sentence, caused Torres’ shoulders to heave with sobs.

Robert Newmiller told the court that he knew firsthand the damage that Torres had caused because Newmiller himself had been molested as a young teenager — in church, by a senior pastor.

MORE: http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/man-who-molested-girl-in-hernando-county-goes-to-prison-for-life/1145373

Thursday, a representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, held a news conference in front of the diocese’s headquarters to talk about a $75,000 settlement with an alleged victim of sexual abuse by a longtime priest. The group also spoke about alleged abuse by two other priests who are now dead. The three priests, the group said, all served at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.

SNAP, which claims membership of more than 10,000 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe, also addressed the ongoing controversy at the Cathedral School of St. Jude in St. Petersburg. Parents are upset about the way they say a priest handled the sacrament of confession with their children in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Diocese spokesman Frank Murphy confirmed a $75,000 settlement in July to man who claimed he was abused by Monsignor Norman Balthazar, who was working at Christ the King at the time of the abuse in 1980.

“We don’t know that anything did occur,” Murphy said.

“But yet they paid $75,000,” countered Martha Jean Lorenzo, the Tampa representative of SNAP, at the news conference.

“Given the cost of investigation and legal fees and you’re dealing with someone who wants to settle, it is easier to provide a settlement,” Murphy said.

Between 1996, when Bishop Robert N. Lynch took over the diocese, and 2006, the diocese paid out $2.8 million in settlements. Some of that was covered by insurance, Murphy said.

SNAP accused Lynch of keeping silent about allegations against Balthazar and the settlement. Murphy said that since the alleged abuse happened to an adult, not a child, the diocese did not have to make it public.

MORE: http://www.tampabay.com/news/religion/catholic-diocese-forced-to-deal-with-more-allegations/1145359

The manager, Michael J. Frediani, 38, of 453 State St., located above the coffee house, was arrested Thursday morning by Springfield police at his apartment for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender in this city.

Frediani, who went by the alias of Michael Free, was imprisoned in New York from 1996 to 1999, for sexual abuse in the first degree involving an 11-year-old girl, according to New York state criminal records.

MORE: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/pastor_of_holy_grounds_coffee.html

Kristopher M. Gorden, 44, 1002 Park Drive S., was turning from 25th Street South on the eastbound ramp of Interstate 94 when he slid into the snow, Sgt. Mark Lykken said.

After police had already arrived at Gorden’s vehicle shortly after 1 a.m., Jeffery Sandgren, 50, 3317 Parkview Lane S., also pulled up to help out Gorden and had contact with police, Lykken said.

Both men were arrested and transported to the Cass County Jail. Sandgren bailed out at 3:20 a.m., and Gorden at 5:41 a.m., according to a jail official.

Sandgren and Gorden are both pastors at Olivet Lutheran Church, according to the church’s website.

MORE: http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/304841/group/homepage/

Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel told the court that Dino Cardelli had used a throw-away cell phone and a “false” Facebook page to contact the minor girl. Neel asked Judge Bruce Watson to put Cardelli back in jail and said that new criminal charges should be expected for his alleged actions.

Cardelli, 49, a former pastor for Calvary Chapel in Arcata, was arrested in September and charged with one count of recurring sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, Jane Doe 1, one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and two counts of oral copulation with a minor. In October, three more charges were filed, alleging committing a lewd and lascivious act with a child under 14 years old, Jane Doe 2. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In court Wednesday, Neel said that Cardelli has not abided by the court’s October order to have no contact with the victims in the case.

MORE: http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_17086581

James (Jim) Boudreau, 67, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of sexual assault.

Police say the charge stems from an incident alleged to have happened in 1984.

Investigators say Boudreau was a pastor at St. John The Baptist Church at the time.

Boudreau was released on undertaking and is due in court March 1.

Police say Boudreau has been a parish priest involved in a number of churches in southern Ontario.

MORE: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/921137–former-guelph-pastor-charged-with-sexual-assault

Jason J. LaPierre, the pastor at River Church in Kingsbury, is accused of writing himself hundreds of personal checks while working at the Corinth-based Hudson River Community Credit Union in order to deposit them in an account at a separate bank.

State Police Investigator Robert Stampfli said Wednesday that LaPierre had the ability to write himself checks while working at the credit union as a human resources and marketing executive.

The thefts were discovered last year after several suspicious checks were noted by bank officials and an audit was conducted, Stampfli said.

LaPierre, who began working at the credit union in 2006, was fired in December 2010.

Police believe at least $406,000 was taken over the course of his employment, although a more complete audit is being conducted now.

Whether the money has been spent or is recoverable remains under investigation, Stampfli said.

“We’re looking now for anyone who may know if he was living beyond his means or what else may have happened to the money,” Stampfli said.

MORE: http://poststar.com/news/local/article_fcca74d4-1e9e-11e0-b6f2-001cc4c03286.html

Police arrested Father Ephraim Baa, head of the Intermediate section of St Xavier’s College in Ranchi, on Jan. 8, charging him with several offences including wrongful restraint, criminal force on women with intend to outrage modesty and making assertions prejudicial to national integration.

Father Baa applied for bail on Jan. 10, saying his action was “strictly disciplinary” and that he had no intention to hurt any community.

Meanwhile, the college, which was closed following the controversy, resumed classes.

MORE: http://www.cathnewsindia.com/2011/01/12/jesuit-priest-bailed-in-scarf-controversy/

“Ted Haggard: Scandalous,” which airs Jan. 16 on TLC, follows Haggard, his wife, Gayle, and their five children as they launch a new church in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Haggard had been a pastor of mega New Life Church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals. The family left Colorado Springs in 2006, after allegations that Haggard had paid a male prostitute for sex for three years and purchased crystal methamphetamine from him.

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ted-haggard-rebuilds-family-starts-church-leaving-sex/story?id=12566080

Pastor Timothy Fana Mngometulu (68) of Hlengela Evangelical Church around Hluthi is charged with rape which he is said to have committed on December 18, 2010.

The name of the sexually abused girl, who is in Grade VI, will not be revealed as she is a survivor of sexual abuse.

Mngometulu who was escorted by plain clothed police officers from the Hluthi Police Station appeared yesterday before Magistrate Musa Nxumalo.

He pleaded guilty and elected to conduct his own defence.

The accused first recorded a confession before his remand appearance and was wearing a khakhi trouser, blue shirt, black leather jacket and black shoes. His hair and beard are greyish.

According to sources the sexually abused girl is said to have confided in one of her guardians that the pastor had forceful sexual intercourse with her inside the Hlengela Evangelical Church.

The rape ordeal, it was reliably gathered, lasted for about 15 minutes and it is alleged the holy man told the 13-year-old girl she was his ‘wife’ and they must engage in sexual intercourse.

Though it could not be ascertained how the pastor managed to lure the child into the church, it was reliably gathered that his long time wife was away performing church duties around the community and there was no church service in session.

The incident happened between 4pm and 4:30pm.

The girl was allegedly molested and made to lie on the floor before being raped.

MORE: http://www.times.co.sz/News/24714.html