Father Mark BroussardOrdained: 1986
Removed from ministry: 1994
Laicized: 2012
Incarcerated: 201
Assigned as follows:
- Our Lady Help of Christians (Jennings, LA)
- Our Lady Queen of Heaven (Lake Charles, LA)
- St. Henry (Lake Charles, LA)
- St. Eugene (Grand Chenier)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Mark Broussard:
Fr. Mark Broussard first applied to enter the seminary, he was rejected. Later, he was admitted to the Diocese of Lake Charles under the condition that he undergo continuing psychotherapy. Broussard did not continue with therapy and was ordained in 1986. According to media reports, in March 2012, he was charged with two counts of aggravated rape and 52 counts of sexual abuse after a man came forward and accused Broussard of child sexual abuse. The victim was between 8-9 years old when the abuse began. He was an altar boy at St. Henry.
According to the alleged victim, he was repeatedly abused by Broussard between 1986-1989. When authorities began investigating this allegation, which was received in 2011, they found documents in Fr. Broussard's personnel file with the Diocese of Lake Charles which indicated that the diocese had received several allegations of child sexual abuse against Broussard. According to these documents, in 1988 Brossard told Rev. Henry Mancuso, a retired priest, that he had abused several children. The incidents were never reported to law enforcement.
Fr. Mark Broussard was arrested again in April 2012 and charged with 100 counts of sexual battery and 40 counts of aggravated rape after a man came forward alleging that Broussard sexually abused him between 1986-1991 beginning when he was an 11-year-old altar boy. The alleged abuse occurred when Broussard was assigned to Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Lake Charles.
In June of 2012, Fr. Broussard was arrested for a third time and charged with 24 counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and six additional counts of sexual battery. The alleged abuse occurred between 1986-1987 when Broussard was assigned to Our Lady Queen of Heaven in Lake Charles. The alleged victim was 8 years old when the abuse began.
In February of 2016, Mark Broussard was found guilty on two counts of aggravated rape, one count of molestation of a juvenile, one count aggravated oral sexual abuse, and one count oral sexual battery. Later that year, he was sentenced to two life terms, plus 50 years in prison. An appeals court rejected Broussard's appeal in 2017.
The Diocese of Lake Charles publicly named Fr. Mark Broussard on its list of credibly accused clergy in 2019.
Mark Broussard is currently incarcerated.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Lake Charles in Louisiana. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Louisiana, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Lake Charles may 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 Louisiana and nationwide. We can help.
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