Pennsylvania priest sentenced for child pornography

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wfmj.com

Posted: Apr 28, 2014 1:23 PM EST Updated: Apr 28, 2014 1:25 PM EST

PITTSBURGH, Pa. –

A Catholic priest has been sentenced in federal court to 36 months in prison following his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

United States Attorney David J. Hickton says that David Dzermejko, 65, of Braddock, Pennsylvania possessed more than 100 photographs in computer graphics files depicting the sexual exploitation of pubescent and prepubescent boys.

The child pornography was found on various computers and computer-related equipment taken from Dzermejko’s former residence in Pittsburgh following the execution of a search warrant.

Hickton says that Dzermejko had been viewing child pornography for more than 10 years, and had acquired the images online from various websites, and had traveled on numerous occasions to Thailand where he engaged in sexual encounters with teen boys, some of whom he thereafter maintained an online relationship with.

After completing his sentence, Dzermejko will be placed on probation for 12 years.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

5 Responses to Pennsylvania priest sentenced for child pornography

  1. Sylvia says:

    Child porn in the rectory, and then off to molest the little boys in Thailand.

    I hope the process for his defrocking is under way. I wouldn’t count on it, but it should be. We shouldn’t even have to ask the question, should we? It should be automatic: a real honest-to-goodness zero tolerance policy.

  2. BC says:

    36 months + 12 years probation; not great – but no so bad. With his record he`ll find it a bit more difficult to travel abroad. It’s not gonna be impossible for him; but it’s gonna be harder for him to pull it off during the next 15 years, at least. After that he’s a geriatric 80 year old male with serious health issues resulting from the many beatings and assaults he will have endured untill his sentence is fully served.

    His Bishop is quoted as stating that viewing child pornography means destruction of a lifetime’s vocation. What does that crypto-catholic mumbo-jumbo mean is another matter. read here: http://www.diopitt.org/latest-diocesan-news/statement-david-f-dzermejko-guilty-plea

  3. Diana Goodavage says:

    It means he’s not a good priest.

  4. Newfoundland Dog says:

    Anyone seen or heard from Father Wayne Dohey lately? No charges laid; so why isn’t he back on the job? Aren’t we even entitled to a foggy clue Archbishop Currie?

  5. Viktoria says:

    If law enforcement agencies were to subpoena and consequently seize the computers of every Roman Catholic priest within any one particular diocese I wonder what they would find? I suspect the faithful may well be in for a surprise as they discover that Christ and the Gospels are the furthest thing from the minds of some of these clerics.

    It would be an interesting exercise if one such diocese was targeted in this way. It may give us the true extent of this insufferable violence against children.

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