2 Pa. Clergymen Among 1st To Be Held Criminally Responsible For Covering Up Sexual Abuse

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two Franciscan friars accused of covering up the sexual abuse of more than 100 children at a high school in Johnstown have pleaded no contest to charges of endangering the welfare of children.

Robert D'Aversa, 70, and Anthony Criscitelli, 63, were sentenced Friday in Blair County to the maximum of five years of probation.

They also face fines of $1,000 and the cost of prosecution.

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, D'Aversa and Criscitelli are among the first clergymen in the country to be held criminally liable for covering up the sexual abuse of kids.

They are also the first members of a religious order in Pennsylvania to be sentenced for protecting clergy accused of abuse, the AG's Office says.

Prosecutors say the friars didn't properly supervise Brother Stephen Baker when he worked at Bishop McCort High School, a Catholic institution in Johnstown, in the 1990s.

The AG's Office says Baker is accused of assaulting more than 100 children at the school. He later took his own life.

In a press release, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said of the pleas:

"These defendants knew the abuser was a serious threat to children – but they allowed him to engage with children and have access to them as part of his job within their order. They chose time and time again to prioritize their institution's reputation over the safety of victims. I won't stand for that in any institution – and any person who fails to protect and safeguard children in their care will answer to me."

A third defendant, Anthony Schinelli, was dismissed from the case last year on the grounds of the statute of limitations.