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September 17, 2019
LANSING – An additional Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC) charge was filed today against an already charged defendant in the Department of Attorney General’s Clergy Abuse Investigation, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.
Vincent DeLorenzo, 80, a former priest with the Lansing Diocese, was among the first five priests charged by Nessel in late May. DeLorenzo was charged with three counts of First-Degree and three counts of Second-Degree CSC. Today, Nessel added an additional charge of First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, a felony punishable by up to life in prison and a lifetime of electronic monitoring.
"As we continue to review the millions of pages of documents our Department seized last year from the state’s seven dioceses, we are reminded that these charges only scratch the surface of what we believe to be years of crimes that were originally swept under the rug,” Nessel said. “Our team continues to work day and night to bring an end to an era of abuse that has hidden in plain sight for far too long and provide justice to those who have suffered years of unimaginable trauma.”
In this additional charge, DeLorenzo is accused of sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy following a funeral service he officiated for the boy’s family in 1987. While the crime occurred more than 10 years ago, Michigan’s statute of limitations is tolled when a defendant leaves the state for any reason within the statute of limitations and resumes if and when the defendant returns to the state.
DeLorenzo’s probable cause conference for all charges is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, in Genesee County District Court.
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Please note: A criminal charge is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Attorney General’s Office does not provide photos of defendants. The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office may have a booking photo available.
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