A former Catholic priest was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, DC this week, for sexually abusing children in a “shelter” he established abroad.
Richard Daschbach, 84, was charged with seven counts of illegal sex in East Timor (also known as East Timor) on Thursday. Daschbach is an American citizen, originally from Pennsylvania, but has lived in what is now East Timor for more than 50 years. He founded the Topu Honis shelter in 1992. Since 2018, at least 15 alleged victims have accused him of sexually abusing children while they were still living in the shelter.
Daschbach was fired by the Vatican in 2018 for allegedly molesting children. The former priest is currently facing trial in East Timor on charges of sexually torturing multiple girls under the age of 14. If convicted, he may face 20 years in prison. In 2019, he was charged with three related crimes of wire transfer fraud in the United States, each with a maximum sentence of 20 years. Each of the seven counts in the US indictment on Friday carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Channing D. Phillips, said: “This case shows that we will use the full scope of the law to prosecute U.S. citizens suspected of looting children, no matter how far we must go to get them tied. To the law.” said in one statement“Together with our law enforcement partners, we must ensure that trusted people do not betray their responsibilities to help children who depend on them.”
Valentino Daryl Sousa/AFP/Getty
“This indictment represents an important step towards responsibility for the injuries suffered by the multiple vulnerable children who were allegedly victimized by the defendant,” added Kenneth A. Polite Jr., Assistant Attorney General. Ministry of Justice(DOJ) Department of Criminal Affairs.
The five accusers of Daschbach, who were all anonymous for fear of facing retaliation, told the Associated Press in April that the former priest’s abuse usually held a ceremony every night, where he would choose A young girl sat on his lap while being surrounded by other children and shelter staff who were praying and singing hymns.
Allegedly, at the end of the ceremony, Daschbach would take the selected girl into his room, where he would take off his shorts and T-shirt, then take off his clothes, molest or rape the girl. One of his alleged victims said that she could not reconcile the conflict between the abuse she experienced and the fact that Daschbach was respected and loved in East Timor, where the Catholics were serious.
“When I was abused, I thought,’Is this a bit like payment?'” The plaintiff told the Associated Press. “That’s what I calculated in my mind…’This must be a price I have to pay to be a part of it.’ You know, it’s like the shiny little gowns these girls wear when they go to church. It’s not free. This is the price tag.”
According to reports, court documents reviewed by the Associated Press indicated that Daschbach’s defense in the East Timor trial focused on claiming that he was the victim of a conspiracy. The media also interviewed foreign donors who funded the Topu Honis shelter, two of whom claimed that Daschbach unceremoniously admitted that he was a pedophile when asked in a face-to-face meeting.
Weekly newspaper Contacted DOJ for comments, but did not respond to the publication in time.
