27-03-2025
Men file false sex abuse claims against ex-priest in racketeering scheme, IL suit says
A Catholic archdiocese has filed a lawsuit accusing a group of men of submitting dozens of false sex abuse claims against a defrocked priest to get millions in settlement payments.
'I got to get on the money train,' a man said during a phone call in state prison in 2013 to an unnamed man involved in the scheme, according to the lawsuit. He also asked the man how much money he got from a settlement payment from the archdiocese, the suit said.
The 38-page lawsuit, filed by the Archdiocese of Chicago on March 24, cites more recorded phone conversations between different men talking about how 'easy' it would be to bring claims against the Catholic Church. The men are all referred to as John Does in accordance with court orders.
Associated by gang affiliation, friendship or family, the web of men was recruited, bribed, paid and coached on how to successfully pursue false claims of sex abuse in exchange for a part in the anticipated settlement, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says the false claims have diverted 'resources devoted to real victims' and reduced the ability to 'expeditiously resolve claims by real victims.'
'We trust and believe people when they come forward with abuse claims,' James Geoly, general counsel for the archdiocese, said in a news release. 'These individuals have violated that trust and have attempted to take advantage of it.'
Defrocked Illinois priest
Illinois has a grim history of child sex abuse by members of the Catholic clergy. In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state's dioceses.
One of the 'most infamous' child abusers in the state is former priest Daniel McCormack, who has more than 100 accusations of sex abuse against him and was committed under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in 2017, according to the Attorney General's Office.
McCormack is accused of abuse in each of the false claims, with many saying the abuse happened in connection with a basketball team he coached, according to the lawsuit.
False claims
The lawsuit says three John Does, who all received settlements in 2012 and 2013, 'quickly exhausted' the money, giving them a reason to call on others to bring false claims for profit.
Once more men received settlements, they used the money on trips to Miami and Las Vegas, parties, and lavish cars and clothing, according to the lawsuit.
Two cases based on similar accusations have been ruled as fraud, and more than a dozen other claims have been abandoned, the lawsuit states.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is seeking injunctive relief for the claims filed by the group as well as monetary damages, according to the lawsuit.
'While we cannot erase the past, including the misconduct of priests who committed real harms, we can try to ease the pain and suffering of survivors through accountability and support,' Geoly said. 'False claims make it necessary to investigate all claims more aggressively, which places a greater burden on true survivors.'
