Catholic priest facing federal firearms and explosives charges ‘for helping teenager buy guns and make pipe bombs’ now accused of child sex assault
The Daily Mail (dailymail.co.uk)
- Rev Paul Gotta, 55, charged with seven counts of sexual assault in a case spanning a year beginning in January 2012
- Catholic clergyman was arrested last July for allegedly helping 18-year-old Kyle Bass buy handgun and thousands of bullets
- Allegations of abuse involving a minor surfaced around the same time and led to Gotta’s suspension from priestly duties
A suspended Connecticut priest charged in a federal firearms and explosives case involving a teenage accomplice has been arrested on allegations he sexually assaulted a child.
The Rev. Paul Gotta was arrested Monday by East Windsor police on seven sexual assault charges stemming from encounters with a minor that took place over the span of a year beginning in January 2012.
Gotta was administrator of St. Philip and St. Catherine churches in East Windsor when the Archdiocese of Hartford suspended him last July when the sexual assault allegations surfaced.
Unholy father: Rev. Paul Gotta (pictured in a mugshot left and delivering a sermon right) has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor on top of earlier firearms and explosives charges
Disgrace: Gotta was administrator of St. Philip (pictured) and St. Catherine churches in East Windsor when the Archdiocese of Hartford suspended him last July
Around the same time, he also was arrested by federal authorities on charges including illegally transferring a gun, ammunition and explosive material to a high school student.
Jury selection in that case is set to begin in May. Meanwhile, Gotta is being held on $100,000 bail. His next court appearance was scheduled for April 15.
Gotta, 55, was taken into custody Monday at his Bridgeport on two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and five count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
The clergyman had been on house arrest since last summer. As a condition of his release, Gotta had to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, the station WFSB reported.
According to federal officials, Gotta helped 18-year-old Kyle Bass acquire a handgun and thousands of rounds of ammunition. He also allegedly helped the teen manufacture a homemade pipe bomb.
Accomplice: Federal officials claim gotta helped 18-year-old Kyle bass (left and right) acquire guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, and helped him build a pipe bomb
Target: Bass allegedly planned to play a ‘prank’ at his school, the Metropolitan Learning Center in Bloomfield
Law enforcement officials first came in contact with Gotta last June, when the priest reached out to the feds to report that Bass had weapons and explosives, and that he had made disturbing comments about his school, the Metropolitan Learning Center in Bloomfield, Hartford Courant reported.
According to court documents, Gotta said Bass told him, ‘You should bring your gun with you when you walk your dog. You never know when someone will jump out of the bushes and shoot you or the dog.’
However, in February, Gotta was indicted for allegedly helping Bass get his hands on firearms and bullets.
His indictment states that the 55-year-old cleric assisted Bass in buying a gun in Arizona and bringing it back to Connecticut in 2012, along with thousands of bullets.
Confined: Rev Gotta had been under house arrest in his Bridgeport home since last summer
Kyle Bass was arrested in June 2013 for allegedly making bombs he had planned to use at his school. When police searched his East Windsor home, they discovered soda bottle silencers, firearms and explosive materials.
In January, Bass pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a silencer. He faces 10 years behind bars, minus three years of suspended sentence, and three years’ probation.
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East Windsor Priest Arraigned On Sexual Abuse Charges
Had Earlier Been Indicted On Federal Firearms Charges
The Hartford Courant
March 31, 2014
BY HILDA MUÑOZ, hmunoz@courant.com, The Hartford Courant
ENFIELD — An East Windsor priest who was indicted on federal firearms charges is now accused of sexual abuse.
The Rev. Paul Gotta, 55, was arraigned Monday in Superior Court in Enfield on two counts of second-degree sexual assault and five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.
He was held on $100,000 bail. His next court date is scheduled April 14.
Gotta’s arrest warrant was sealed and details of the sexual assault case are not being released at this time, police said.
Gotta was placed on leave by the Catholic Church last year when allegations that he sexually abused a minor first surfaced. He will remain on leave until the charges are ajudicated, said Maria Zone, a spokeswoman for the Hartford Archdiocese.
“We offer our prayers for all concerned in this matter and for all who have suffered the effects of sexual abuse in our society. We also pray that truth, justice and healing will be served for everyone involved in this case,” she said.
Gotta was administrator of St. Philip and St. Catherine churches in East Windsor.
He initially approached authorities in June 2013 to report that a high school student, Kyle Bass, had firearms and explosives and that he had made troubling comments about his school, the Metropolitan Learning Center in Bloomfield.
But Gotta’s credibility was called into question after his arrest on federal firearms charges in July. He was then was indicted in February for allegedly helping Bass to acquire weapons, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The indictment alleges that Gotta helped Bass purchase a handgun in Arizona and transport it to Connecticut in 2012. It also states that Gotta aided in the purchase of thousands of rounds of ammunition and the construction of a homemade pipe bomb.
Bass was arrested in June 2013 on charges that manufactured bombs and planned a prank at his high school. Authorities found firearms, silencers made of soda bottles and explosive material at Bass’ home in East Windsor.
But initial allegations that portrayed him as a troubled young man who was planning violence turned out not to be true, State prosecutor Robin Krawczyk said during one of Bass’ court appearances.
Bass pleaded guilty in January in Superior Court in Hartford to two counts of possession of a silencer and is awaiting sentencing. He faces 10 years in prison, suspended after three years, and three years of probation. His attorney will have the right to argue for a fully suspended sentence.
Does it get any more bizarre than this? Yes, I suppose we’ve reached that point where very little surprises or shocks, but this is bizazarre,
Was this Father Gotta setting the boy up to blow up the school? or to rush in and shoot everyone in sight?
And why, if he was assisting the boy in the purchase of weapons etc. did Gotta report him to police?
Did the boy threaten to report Gotta for sex abuse and Gotta decided then and there that his best defence would be a ‘good’ offence?
Bizarre.