One of the five Michigan priests charged with sexual assault earlier this year now faces an additional felony charge, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.
Vincent DeLorenzo, 80, was one of the first five priests charged by Nessel’s office in late May. He had originally been charged with three counts of first-degree and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The additional charge adds one more count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, punishable by up to life in prison.
Updated: Nessel announces sexual assault charges against 5 Catholic priests
DeLorenzo, along with one other defendant in the investigation, was previously assigned to the Lansing Diocese. He practiced for 37 years before a 2002 sexual abuse complaint reportedly prompted his removal from Holy Redeemer Church in Burton.
The new charge announced today accuses DeLorenzo of “sexually assaulting a five-year-old boy following a funeral service he officiated for the boy’s family in 1987.”
The statement adds that while the alleged crime occurred 32 years ago, the statute of limitations was paused when the defendant left the state and resumed when DeLorenzo returned.
In her statement, Nessel says the department is still reviewing “millions of pages of documents” seized from Michigan’s seven dioceses last year as the investigation continues.
