Fr. Robert Spangenberg – Diocese of Charlotte

| Jan 31, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father Robert Spangenberg

Diocese of Charlotte (Spiritan Order) 

Ordained: 1974 

Retired: 2003

Died: 2006

Assigned as Follows:

  • Sacred Heart Catholic Mission (Wadesboro, NC)
  • St. James Catholic Church (Hamlet, NC)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Robert Spangenberg:

Father Robert Spangenberg was ordained a priest in 1974 and served in multiple dioceses including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, and in the  Diocese of Charlotte and Raleigh in NC. According to media reports, he was named in the Pennsylvania 2018 Grand Jury Report for alleged sexual abuse of at least two minors in the 1980’s. The alleged abuse is said to have happened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Around that time, the Diocese of Pittsburgh was contacted by a woman who said her son had been abused by Spangenberg.

Spangenberg was then moved to Florida in 1989 due to the allegations, but remained in ministry. He was then assigned by his religious order, the Spiritans, to the Diocese of Charlotte in the 1990’s.

In 2009, a man reported that when he was a 15- to-16-year-old runaway and involved in prostitution, he had many “sexual encounters” with Robert Spangenberg. He also said that Spangenberg would pay him to bring “young hustlers” for sex as well. The victim claimed that Spangenberg was a “really sick guy” who did many vulgar things to him and others. 

Spagenberg’s name appears on the Diocese of Raleigh’s list of clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. He is also on the Diocese of Charlotte’s list of accused clergy.

He died in 2006.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Raleigh in North Carolina.  If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in North Carolina, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Raleigh now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.  Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in North Carolina and nationwide. We can help.

Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.