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St. Louis priest pleads guilty to sex charges

Fr. James Patrick Grady
(photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Louis)
Fr. James Patrick Grady

By AP/St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis – A Roman Catholic priest from a parish in south St. Louis has pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge.

James Patrick Grady of St. Raphael the Archangel was one of three men arrested last summer when he responded to an Internet advertisement for young females for sex. The posts were part of an undercover investigation, and Grady was arrested when he traveled to a Maryland Heights home to meet with what he though was a 16-year-old girl. He admitted after his arrest that he had intended to have sex with the girl.

Investigators also found more than 100 pornographic images on a laptop the parish had purchased for Grady's personal use.

Grady, 58, will be sentenced June 25th. He could face 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. In addition, Grady has agreed to forfeit his Toyota Camry.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis would not comment on the case, calling it ongoing litigation because Grady has not yet been sentenced. Grady was stripped of his priestly faculties after his arrest, meaning he cannot perform Catholic sacraments.

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