Father John Giandelone
Diocese of Phoenix
Ordained: 1978
Arrested: 1984, 2003
Assigned as Follows:
- St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Chandler, AZ)
- Bourgade High School (Phoenix, AZ)
- St. Joseph’s Parish (Phoenix, AZ)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against John Giandelone:
Father John Giandelone was arrested in 1984 and later confessed that he had been molesting several children during the course of his priesthood.
A civil suit was later filed against the Diocese of Phoenix, alleging that a father walked in on Father Giandelone performing oral sex on his 15-year-old son. Giandelone was immediately sent to the Foundation House in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, a notorious facility for “treating” pedophile priests before returning them to ministry.
Giandelone eventually struck a plea bargain that reduced the original criminal charges. He was sentenced to serve only one year in jail, but was allowed to join a work-furlough program that enabled him to work during the day at the Diocese of Phoenix. He was also put on five years’ probation and told to stay away from young boys. Bishop Thomas O’Brien did everything he could to keep Giandelone out of prison and even asked after sentencing if the jail time could be reduced to six months, but the judge refused.
After completing his criminal sentence, Giandelone returned to ministry as a Chaplain in a Valley nursing home. He later left the priesthood voluntarily to marry.
His name was also included in a 1993 lawsuit against the Diocese of Phoenix along with two other priests that had been accused of sexually abusing a minor for many years.
In 2003, Giandelone was charged by Arizona authorities with three counts of felony sexual abuse against a 16-year-old victim. He served another year and 10 months in prison and was given 3 years of probation. He is now required to register as a sex offender.
According to the National Sex Offender Registry, Giandelone is living in Fort Meyers, Florida.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Arizona, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix now have legal options to recover damages due to a change in Arizona laws. Contact us toll-free at 888-283-9922 or email us at [email protected] today.