As a law firm dedicated to the justice of innocent victims, we often find fault with decision-makers and criticize their intentions and actions, or lack of actions when it comes to reporting sexual abuse and cover-ups. However, today, we are mixing things up a bit. We want to praise and thank authority figures, specifically to express our gratitude to several attorney generals who have investigated clergy sex crimes and cover-ups and disclosed the work histories of proven, admitted, and credibly accused child molesting clerics. As a Florida-based firm, we especially appreciate AGs alerting us to clerics who are or were in our state.

Thank You to Attorney Generals that Show Action in Clergy Sex Crimes

→Thank you to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Because of her investigation, we know about three credibly accused child molesting clerics from the Marquette Diocese who were also in Florida:

1. Fr. Thomas Francis DeVita worked in the Venice Diocese and the Palm Beach Diocese after having been accused of abuse in New York.
2. Fr. Robert E. Consani spent time in Sun City. Church officials’ restricted’ his ministry just two months ago. (NOTE: He’s accused of abusing an adult.)

→Thank you to Missouri Attorney General  Eric Schmitt. Because of his investigation, we know about a credibly accused child molesting cleric from Missouri, Fr. Robert Johnston, who reportedly abused a boy in Ft. Lauderdale.

→Thank you to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Because of his investigation, we know about a credibly accused child molesting cleric from the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese, Fr. Martin D. McCamley, who is now retired and living in Orlando.

→Thanks to New Hampshire Attorney General Philip T. McLaughlin. Because of his investigation, we know about a credibly accused child molesting cleric from the Manchester Diocese, Fr. Gordon MacRae, who reportedly abused a Florida man.

→Thank you to Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Petersen. Because of his investigation, we know about two credibly accused child molesting clerics from that state:

1. Fr. Richard Deonise had repeatedly called one of his victims “requesting he come live with him in Florida.
2. Fr. Anthony Palmese, who belonged to a religious order called the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR), worked in Kansas, Nebraska, New York, and the Miami Archdiocese until he retired in 2009.

→Thank you to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia. Because of their investigation, we know about several credibly accused child molesting clerics from that state:

1. Seminarian Kenneth Joseph Cassity belonged to a religious order called the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Sallette and spent at least a year as “director of youth ministry” at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lake Wales.
2. Fr. Charles A. Bartles, who belonged to a religious order called the Jesuits (a.k.a. the Society of Jesus), worked in Kansas, Alaska, and Georgia and spent about four years at Jesuit High School in Tampa.
3. Fr. John Willis Dowling belonged to the Savannah Diocese and retired to Florida.
4. Fr. Anthony Jablonowski belonged to two religious orders (the Carmelite Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and the Glenmary Home Missioners), worked in Wyoming, Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina and appears on the state of Florida’s sexual offender registration system.
5. Fr. Thomas Naughton, another Jesuit, worked in Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Texas, and for at least two years at Jesuit High School in Tampa.
6. Fr. Henry B. Groover, who belonged to a religious order called the Dominicans (a.k.a. the Order of Preachers), worked in Louisiana, Georgia and for almost a decade at St. Dominic parish in Miami.
7. Fr. Wayland Yoder Brown Jr. was a Boy Scout leader and math professor who worked in Maryland and Georgia and abused a child in Jacksonville and at Disney World.
8. Fr. Eugene A. Gavigan belonged to a religious order called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (a.k.a. the Trappists) and worked at St. Paul’s Church in Jacksonville.

→Thanks to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. Because of his investigation, we know about several credibly accused child molesting clerics:

1. Fr. Martin D. McCamley of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese is retired and living in Orlando.
2. Fr. Michael Lowell Barnes “manually and orally raped” a victim in Delaware, California, Colorado and Florida.
3. Fr. Laurence Brett of the Bridgeport Diocese moved or was transferred repeatedly (to Connecticut, New Mexico, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and the Caribbean nation of St. Maarten) and reportedly retired to Florida.
4. Fr. Henry (John) O’Toole belonged to a religious order (Redemptorist), worked in Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia, and retired to Florida.
5. Fr. Howard F. Yeakle, Fr. Arthur R. Maurer, Fr. Edmund F. Stroup, and Fr. Eugene Ambrose McGuire (a Passionist) spent most of their clerical careers in Maryland and reportedly abused kids on trips to Florida.

→Thanks to Illinois Attorney General  Kwame Raoul. Because of his investigation, we know about credibly accused child molesting clerics from Illinois who were also in Florida:

1. Br. Frances Skube was affiliated with the Franciscan Brothers of Christ the King and worked in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Florida.
2. Fr.  William C. Wert spent time in California, Washington, DC, and Illinois and lived in the Carmelite retirement home near Venice.
3. Fr. William Harbert reportedly abused at least a dozen kids in Illinois and Florida.
4. Fr.  William I. Joffe worked in Illinois and later lived in Kentucky and Ft. Myers.
5. Fr. William John O’Brien took a boy on two trips to Florida and abused him both times.
6. Fr. Walter M. Weerts spent time in at least nine states (Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Georgia, Colorado, Missouri, and Arkansas), became an instructor at Palm Beach Community College, and a teacher at the middle and high school levels.

Is your attorney general not mentioned here? You might consider urging them to investigate the Catholic scandal or dig deeper if they have already done so. Every bit of info helps keep Florida safe of clergy sex crimes and sexual abuse. Every state’s AG should be listed. 

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by religious authority figures and numerous sexual assault lawsuits against massage therapists. If you need a lawyer because a member of a religious organization, doctor, professional, or therapist sexually abused you, contact us today at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.