Authorities are investigating the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans for child sex trafficking after a judge granted a sprawling and unprecedented search warrant.
According to the 11-page warrant, which was approved on April 29 and publicly released by a court clerk a day later, victims have alleged “widespread sexual abuse of minors at the hands of priests and clergymen dating back decades.”
The order is sweeping and would identify every individual within the the United States’ second-oldest Archdiocese who has been accused of sexual assault against a minor.
Judge Juana Matine Lombard granted police the authority to procure documentation, digital or on paper, related to:
- Any and all complaints of sexual abuse received by any person of the Archdiocese regarding any and all people affiliated with the Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Personnel files for all clergy members, including those who may have been reassigned, and transfer records for all clergy members named on the “Credibly Accused List,” along with any documents records of files pertaining to living clergy members accused of abuse
- Supporting documentation which led to a member of the Archdiocese being placed on the “Credibly Accused List”
- Documentation on actions taken after abuse allegations
- Financial records of associates with any member of the Archdiocese who had any type of sexual complaint filed against them
- All communications between the Archbishop of New Orleans and any department within the Vatican, other Archbishop or Cardinal, pertaining to child sexual abuse as related to any complaints made with the Archdiocese
- A list, with current contact information, of anyone currently or formerly employed by the Archdiocese who have or had access to complaints, filings, or information about child sexual abuse by members or clergy
Underscoring the extremely broad scope of the warrant, Lombard granted police access to “ALL documents related to the sexual abuse of a minor by clergy for the Archdiocese of New Orleans not otherwise specifically listed. In short, produce ANY and ALL documents that pertain in any way to the sexual abuse of a minor by clergy members employed or otherwise associated with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.”
This latest investigation was sparked by a similar probe into retired priest Lawrence Hecker, which was launched in 2022. During that investigation, which remains ongoing, interviewees detailed a decades-long pattern of abuse at the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
That investigation unearthed allegations that senior members of the Archdiocese know about abuse claims, but either ignored them or actively covered them up, not reporting them to law enforcement.
According to victims’ interviews with police, multiple minors were transported to other parishes where they were abused. In some cases, minors were given “gifts” with instructions to give the “gift” to certain priests at the next school or church as a signal that the minor was a target for sexual abuse.
Multiple victims told police they were brought to the New Orleans Seminary, where they were told to “skinny dip” in the pool where they were sexually abused. According to the warrant affidavit, this was a “common occurrence and it was reported that other members of the Archdiocese were present at the pool at the same time.”
Many of the alleged abuse incidents occurred on Archdiocese property.
Based on the findings of that investigation, police sought to widen the probe to include the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Richard Trahant, an attorney for the victim in the Hecker case, says his client is “proud and humbled” that the case led to the issuance of the sprawling search warrant for the Archdiocese.
“It’s a great day for survivors,” Trahant said. “It demonstrates that law enforcement has taken these complaints very seriously. And no matter when it occurred, if it was a year ago or 10 years ago or 30 years ago, all of these survivors are entitled to have this kind of effort by law enforcement on their behalf.”
Trahant is also representing roughly 80 people who allege clergy in the Archdiocese of New Orleans abused them as minors.
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