Former Poughkeepsie priest accused of abusing minors faces prison sentence in Philadelphia
A former Poughkeepsie priest accused of abusing minors is facing a prison sentence in Philadelphia for corruption of a minor and indecent assault.
Rev. James Garisto, 74, served at St. Peter's Church in Poughkeepsie from 1998 to 2014.
He was arrested in May 2022 based on allegations by a Pennsylvania man that Garisto sexually assaulted him between 2006 and 2010, when he was 15 years old, at the priest's home in Fishtown, a section of Philadelphia. He also alleged Garisto abused him at property he owned in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and at the church in Poughkeepsie, where Garisto occasionally brought him.
Garisto pleaded no contest to charges of corruption of a minor when the defendant is 18 or older, a felony under Pennsylvania law; and indecent assault, a misdemeanor.
Two other felony charges, endangering the welfare of children and unlawful contact with a minor, were dropped by prosecutors.
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Garisto is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7.
Garisto's attorney, Fortunato N. Perri Jr., could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Archdiocese of New York previously said that Garisto was placed on leave in 2019, when the archdiocese first received a complaint against him, and had been unable to act as a priest since then. A spokesman could not be immediately reached to confirm that is still the case.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Rev. James Garisto to be sentenced on corruption, assault charges
