Former Catholic Priest Convicted Of Molesting Boy In Chicago

October 25, 2008 6:11 p.m. EST

Chicago, IL (AHN) - Donald McGuire, a defrocked Catholic priest belonging to the Jesuit order, was convicted by a federal court on Friday for taking a boy on religious retreats to have sex with him.

The jury found the 78-year-old former priest guilty after three hours of deliberations. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer read the verdict including his 30-year prison term while McGuire sat in his wheelchair.

McGuire was accused of having sex with a 13-year old boy after the boy's mother sent to live with the priest in 1999. Now 22 years old, the alleged victim claims that the abuse lasted until 2003.

Prosecution was given a boost when four additional witnesses testified against McGuire. The witnesses included two men, giving explicit accounts on how McGuire allegedly taught them masturbation, and have them read pornographic materials and engage in massages and rubdowns when they were still in their teens.

McGuire pleaded not guilty with his lawyers claiming that the witnesses in the trial were just seeking legal damages from the Catholic church.

The former priest was convicted in Wisconsin in 2006 for child molestation and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He is appealing the conviction.

McGuire has also been indicted in Arizona for similar charges and is slapped with lawsuits on new child molestation accusations.