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When we left off with my friend Cee’s story in Part 1, we heard how after decades of stress and anxiety caused by the four sexual assaults committed by Father Charles Sullivan — in 1981 — she decided to seek justice, and she retained the services of a law firm to deal with the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts. If you haven’t listened to (or read) Part One, I recommend you do before you listen to the rest of this episode. At the end of Part 1, it was September 2, 2020 and Cee had just emailed me for the first time: “I was a student of Saint Matthew’s. I have contacted a lawyer about several issues involving myself and Father Sullivan. The lawyer is having issues finding information about Father Sullivan’s time at the school. I am hoping, if at all possible, you might be able to help.” A couple of days later, we spoke for the first time, the first of many calls and the start of a two year journey to right the wrongs she experienced at the hands of the “Angry Drunkard Priest.” That’s what I call Father Charles Sullivan, who was the subject of Episode Four of Unholy Fathers. Aside from her initial interview with the law firm, I was the first person she’d told what happened at the hands of the priest. During our recent conversation recorded last month, I asked her what it had been like to reveal such horrible details to a stranger like me. After all, she’d kept this secret to herself for decades. for the complete human proofread transcript visit crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode includes a disturbing account about a series of sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl, in the year 1981, by a then-45-year-old Catholic priest from Springfield, Massachusetts named Charles Sullivan. This episode is not suitable for kids or the extremely sensitive. Episode 16 of Unholy Fathers features the voice of a woman I’m calling Cee to protect her anonymity. Cee is a very sweet person. She’s in her mid 50s, and has worked in the corrections sector in western Massachusetts ever since she graduated Cathedral High School back in 1987. In today’s episode, based upon a conversation that she and I had last month, you’ll learn a lot about Cee and what happened with Father Charles Sullivan. Next week, in Part Two, you’ll hear about how we became pals and how together we teamed up and were able to get long-delayed justice and a financial settlement from the Diocese of Springfield to make good on my friend’s bad experiences at the hands of the now-dead Charles Sullivan, whom I profiled in episode four of Unholy Fathers. First to set this horrible scene. We go back in time to 1981 to when Cee was a seventh grader at St. Matthew’s School in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time, I was in the eighth grade at St. Matthew’s, and while I wasn’t friends with Cee, I was aware of her. Relatively speaking, she was a new girl, this being only her second year at the school. To read a complete transcript -- proofread by a human -- visit crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the prelude to my upcoming new true crime podcast Fake Shaman about a con-witch who moved to Maine with dollar signs in her eyes and psychedelic mushrooms in her Coach bag. Be sure to sign up at fakeshaman.com for the latest news and notification when this 10-part series premieres in March. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hear a sad tale from "Sarah," the long-suffering wife of one of Richard Lavigne's victims. She tells us about her husband's abuse at the hands of the murderer-priest and the impact it had their family. And how it got worse after Lavigne died and the murderer-priest, once again, became the center of media attention. For more visit crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the night of May 21, 2021, the unpunished murderer and former Catholic priest Richard Lavigne died at the age of 80 from COVID. The local district attorney claimed he was getting ready to arrest the former priest and charge him with Danny Croteau's murder, but since Lavigne was now dead, the DA now considers the case closed. On this episode of Unholy Fathers (originally aired June '21)Crash discusses the news of the death of this notorious child molester with the anonymous author of the Hell's Acres blog while they listen to never-before-heard audio of Lavigne from both Crash's exclusive interview with the murderer and soundbites released by the DA from a police interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what was supposed to be the season finale of Unholy Fathers, we tie up some loose ends and visit the spot where Danny Croteau was murdered on April 14th, 1972. Since this episode first aired in Feb. 2020, there's been a couple major developments. Read more at crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of Unholy Fathers is much different than the previous 11, thanks to the calming presence of my high school classmate Cat, who is the youngest sister of Danny Croteau, the 13-year-old altar boy murdered by then-Rev. Richard Lavigne in April 1972, under a bridge on the banks of the Chicopee River in western Massachusetts. The interview for this episode was recorded during the summer of 2019. To say I’m thankful to Cat for her time, words and wisdom is an understatement. Cat is a strong and resilient woman, haunted by the murder of her brother, but she demonstrates the ability to deal with the depression and sadness with an amazing attitude we can all learn from.  Cat and her family experienced unimaginable pain and suffering because of the violent acts of Lavigne, an evil man who pretended to be their family friend and confidant. And, as we hear from Cat, the murder destroyed her family. Even worse is the longterm impact the tragedy had on her siblings and parents. The lingering cloud of grief — felt by Cat and her loved ones — is inescapable and forevermore.  read more at crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick refresher on the sins and crimes of Richard Lavigne, the worst of all the bad priests in the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts: In 1972, Lavigne murdered Danny Croteau, the sweet and innocent 13-year-old boy who the priest had been molesting for years. Also, we know that Lavigne sexually assaulted multiple dozens of others — mostly altar boys — during the 1970s, 80s and up until 1991. As I explained in the first three episodes (1 2 3) of Unholy Fathers, the Catholic diocese of Springfield, along with local DA and others, covered up for Lavigne. Until 1991, when a brave teenager came forward with a thorough and horrifying accounting of the three years of abuse he suffered at the hands of Lavigne. In today’s episode, we’re going back in time, to February 2019, when I knocked on the door of Richard Lavigne’s dead parent’s house in the western Massachusetts city of Chicopee for the murderer’s ONLY media interview, ever. Thing is, despite my hidden recording equipment, Massachusetts law prevents me from using the audio. (Laws vary from state to state.) However, here’s a pic of the then-78-year-old murderer sitting in his living room, during our interview, before he gave me a tour of his abode. This podcast episode is a verbatim account of my conversation with the murderer Lavigne. Obviously since this was initially published five years ago, a lot has changed since. However, there is a specific update to this episode that is pertinent in today’s climate of cover-up and distraction. The day after my interview with Lavigne in February 2019, I drove to the Springfield Chancery — aka the Diocese’s headquarters — and knocked on enough doors until the church’s local spokesman Mark Dupont agreed to meet with me in a vestibule for a brief conversation. My goal: specifically ask about the allegations Lavigne made regarding Father John Klekotka, the pastor of Lavigne’s first parish when the murderer was a young priest.  [[insert excerpt]] To say Dupont was non-reactive would be an overstatement. The diocese spokesman claimed not to know anything about Father Klekotka and declined to answer any questions and ignored several follow up emails. Here’s the thing, in late May of 2021, a year-and-a-half after today’s podcast episode initially aired, the Diocese of Springfield released an updated list of bad priests, including an additional 40 new names of priests credibly accused of molesting children. And on that list: the aforementioned Fr. John R. Klekotka, the pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Church officials, however, were still hesitant to convict the now-dead priest who shuffled his mortal coil — hopefully to hell — in 1974. Fella can’t defend himself from beyond the veil, church officials argue, so his name is on the list with an asterisk of sorts.  The available info about Klekotka from the diocese — not surprisingly — is less than scant. Here’s the official version: Fr. John R. Klekotka served as a priest for almost 50 years until he kicked the bucket. The “nature of reported conduct” is “sexual abuse of a minor” for a seven year period, from 1963 until 1970. According to the diocese, it was the sole credible allegation. And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to the Vatican for sale. Cheap  read more via crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are only a handful of good priests in the Unholy Fathers saga of the sins and crimes committed by the child-raping clergy of Springfield, Massachusetts. From Bishop Thomas Dupre to Richard Lavigne to the scores of other “credibly accused,” most of the alleged holy men I’ve reported on are actual devils and dirtbags.  In Episode 10, though, we hear the story of Rev. James Scahill, or “Father Jim,” as he was known to his adoring parishioners at St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow. He was the rare hero of Catholic priests, one who stood up for victims of priestly abuse. And he was the special sort of Catholic cleric, one who listened to his congregation. He became further empowered after hearing from his flock who were tired of their financial contributions paying for the lifestyles of bad priests. Especially to Lavigne, the child-murderer. Inspired by his parishioners, Scahill took to speaking truth to power —specifically to the serial rapist Bishop Dupre — and undertook a revolutionary act (for a Catholic priest) by publicly disobeying his bosses. Scahill understood how important money was to the Bishop, so the pastor made the power move — with support from his parish — and began to withhold the six percent of parish earnings, aka the “cathedralticum” payment, paid to the Bishop every month. Which meant Scahill became a major thorn in the dirty bishop’s side. While his litany of complaints mostly focussed on Lavigne-the-murderer still being on church payroll, Scahill was also obsessed with the rumor that we now know to be true: The Bishops of Springfield had intentionally destroyed secret records in order to protect their child molesting priests from criminal prosecution. In mid-September 2002, hundreds of priests from the Springfield diocese descended on a hotel in Cape Neddick, Maine for a “spiritual retreat.” Called by Bishop Dupre, the retreat was an attempt at damage control and to deal with the fallout from the diocese’s child molestation scandal. During a lull in the meeting, Father Scahill rose and addressed his brethren.  “No matter what anyone says,” the renegade priest intoned, “there is no virtue to obedience that requires the surrender of virtue. There is no virtue to obedience that requires one to go myopically blind, like the soldiers of Hitler.” There was silence, momentarily, then Bishop Dupre bellowed. “Father Scahill, you are being disobedient. You have broken your oath of office as a pastor. And you have cost the diocese thousands and thousands of dollars with the timing of your stunt…” Father Scahill interrupted. “I’m listening to my parishioners. And they tell me to…” “SILENCE!” The Bishop glowered, pointing at Father Scahill. “Remember your vows,” he sputtered threateningly. The following year, the Bishop and his underlings tried to shift attention away from the scandal. Dupre made a very public and loud attempt to reassert the church’s moral authority on social issues. That’s why, in 2003, he became the face and voice of the anti-marriage equality movement in Massachusetts and vociferously argued that marriage was meant to be a union between man and woman. And very few folks dared to challenge his hateful rhetoric. After all, Dupre was the most powerful religious spiritual leader in western Mass. Meanwhile in California, one of Dupre’s victims stumbled across a wire service news story reporting on the Bishop’s sanctimonious moralizing. This now grown man — who had been repeatedly raped by Dupre from 1977 to 1982 — decided he’d kept his mouth shut long enough. He knew a reporter from the Springfield newspapers named Bill Zajac was working hard to bring the Bishop down. And with some assistance from Father Scahill, the tide turned and Dupre became the first American Catholic to be indicted on child rape charges. Unfortunately, like many powerful men accused of sex crimes against children, the Bishop was never prosecuted. And Dupre lived for another dozen years in relative comfort and luxury, dying in 2016 at 83. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again, the Catholic sexual abuse scandal mirrors current Epstein Files situation. Not only are there troves of secret documents, detailing crimes against children, but the man-in-charge was an evil, egomaniacal piece of garbage. The next two episodes tell the sordid tale of Bishop Thomas Dupre, who reigned supreme over the Catholic church in western Massachusetts from 1995 to 2004, when he suddenly disappeared under the cover of darkness, never to pay the price for his crimes, when he realized the jig was up. This so-called holy man fostered a system that protected scores of evil men, including Richard Lavigne, Charles Sullivan, Father X and others who committed countless crimes against children. Cover-up, lies and deception were the order of business for Dupre, a skilled canon lawyer, who also happened to be a serial child-rapist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before discussing Part 4 of Father X’s story of sins and crimes from my Unholy Fathers podcast, here’s a New Year’s prediction: In early January, Donald Trump will doze off during an “Alien Disclosure” press conference after introducing the secret alliance of Ant-People, Venusians, Grays, Plejaren (aka Pleiadeans) and neo-Anunnaki, who are revealed to be the actual rulers of Planet Earth. At any other time in our country’s history, my prognostication would sound like a bizarre conspiracy theory. Under the Trump regime, though, it’s just another day in the Oval Office. One more chapter in the on-going golden pedo cover-up, constructed to distract us from the actual big reveal: Trump and other oligarchs are guilty scum and will do anything they can to protect Epstein and the list of ruling-class child-abusing perverts. As part of the cover-up, the racist-rapist and his toadies embraced war crimes, murdering sailors while implementing local martial-law and grifting at a speed faster than light, all as part of their current distract-a-thon, which also includes weaponizing the Justice Department, rebranding the DoD as Department of War and using ICE agents to gestapo people of color. The acceptance of these tactics by GOPers like Paul LePage and Susan Collins shows how quickly Republican bootlickers are willing to kowtow to fascism as the orange-carcassed meat-puppet, stinking of fecal matter, rots into his corrupt bones. And they applaud while the president of the USA dons the Dying Despot of the Year medal awarded by FIFA, the consolation prize for the whining baby with a full diaper and a mushroom micro-penis. This remake of The Emperor’s New Clothes, called The Autocrat’s New Colostomy Bag is more proof that without some serious course correction — SOON — we’re screwed. As Peter Thiel waits for the death throes in order to install his suck-boi James Donald Bowman (aka James David Hamel, aka JP Mandel, aka JD Vance), gotta wonder what’s next for MAGA Daddy. Will he continue to defy the courts and ignore due process? Will he elevate Laura Loomer to the Cabinet? Will he order RFK to lower prices on Adrenochrome and Ivermectin in order to keep his base happy and alive? Or will he command Space Force to blast 3i Atlas from the solar system, triggering an intergalactic battle that results in advanced beings destroying our planet? Hard telling, since the short-finger vulgarian will go to seemingly any length to prevent the truth of his pederasty being exposed. Speaking of extremely-rich, elderly white male sex criminals… here in Maine, former gubernatorial candidate and current scumbag Eliot Cutler is facing allegations he violated probation by trying to hire a San Francisco sex worker during an upcoming vacation to the Left Coast to visit “elderly friends,” according to affidavit filed by his probation officer. The 79-year-old Cutler (born a mere 34 days after Trump, btw) is also alleged to have accessed sexually explicit content online and possessing unmonitored devices, according to court documents, all of which are probation violations. A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16. Meaning the a*****e might be back in the clink before Christmas to serve out the remainder of his OG four-year prison sentence, which had been reduced, thanks to his May 2023 plea deal. That’s when he pled guilty to four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a child under 12 years old and was ordered to serve 9 months in the Hancock County Jail. He’ll be back behind bars, that is, unless Cutler’s high-priced legal eagles find a way to convince the court to cut the old perv another break on Dec. 16. I wrote (exhaustively) re: this case for a Crash Report in Feb 2024, so you can read all about this dirtbag’s history and conviction here in The Pre-Obituary of Eliot Cutler. Short version: His troubles in started in 2022 when cops were tipped off to Cutler’s on-line activities after he shared a 447 GB folder of illicit images (including a video of an adult male raping a four year-old girl) with some other perverts. In March of that year, Cutler was arrested at his multi-million dollar “farmhouse” in the Hancock County town of Brooklyn. At the time, his electronics were seized and cops discovered over 80,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his computers and drives. A year later, his legal team struck a sweet plea deal and the millionaire did a quick seven-and-a-half months in the Hancock County pokey, a fraction of his four-year sentence. And practically nuthin’, compared to other pervs busted with an equal amount of disgusting filth on their computers. Obviously, his big bank account was the reason why Cutler got such easy preferential treatment. After all, any non-monied schmuck facing the same charges wouldn’t have been able to get a judge to ignore the other 79,996 pieces of child sexual abuse material found on Cutler’s electronica. Below, in an excerpt from his “Pre-Obituary,” I explain how his cash makes it easier for a sexual predator like him to escape justice, even when the evidence is overwhelming. Welcome to Paradise Creek For more evidence on how Cutler’s wealth influenced the outcome of his case, let’s take a close look at the millionaire’s stay at the “Paradise Creek Recovery Center” in Malta, Idaho. After all, his attorney Walt McKee argued that Cutler’s 28-days of therapy at the eight-bedroom house with views of grazing cattle and Idaho’s high mountain desert should prove to the court that Cutler wasn’t likely to re-offend. In his memo to the judge, McKee explained that Cutler’s time at the Paradise Creek Recovery Center, “was highly intensive and combined what would otherwise be a year and a half of intensive individual and group therapy into 28 days.” Before getting into the critique of the efficacy of this type of therapy, let’s get some fiscal facts out of the way. I haven’t been able to find pricing info for any so-called “28-day program” at Paradise Creek, but here are some fees for the recovery center’s “Sex Addiction and Pornography Addiction Treatment Programs.” A five-week stay at Paradise Creek, for instance, costs $26,875 for “a private room, all treatment modalities, meals and snacks included.” The six-week package (snacks also included) goes for $32,250. Cash only. No insurance accepted. Also, for an unknown reason, program attendees are required to bring an additional $5,ooo in cash, pre-paid credit card or certified check when they arrive at Paradise Creek. As you can see in the screenshot below from the Paradise Creek website, the center’s policy requires “anyone who is or may be involved in a legal process to enroll in the six-week treatment program.” Yet, according to Cutler’s lawyer, the former gubernatorial hopeful only spent 28 days at the Idaho joint, even though he was out-on-bail for possessing CSAM and the center’s own rules required a longer stay. For an unknown reason, Cutler’s therapeutic stay was two weeks shorter than what the recovery center actually requires for pervs of his ilk. His lawyer neglected to mention that apparent privilege, instead telling the court Cutler successfully completed the program. Below is the sample weekly schedule for Paradise Creek program attendees. According to promo materials, in addition to group and one-on-one therapy, there is weekly art therapy, music therapy, as well as daily yoga and fitness programs. A frequent backyard marshmallow roast (weather permitting) is part of the package and includes the “opportunity to talk about principles of recovery in a less formal environment and, at the same time, enjoy some food that can easily be warmed or cooked over a campfire.” Fridays, when the weather is nice, the program heads a half hour to the west to the “City of Rocks” state park for hiking, picnic lunch, and, if so desired, a therapy session done in a private spot in the great outdoors. Obviously, the treatment at Paradise Creek is geared to monied folks like Cutler. While the people running the place seem to be compassionate (at least on video), how effective is the actual program? After all, in Cutler’s case, at the time of his stay in Idaho, he was a 76-year-old male with admitted “decades” of addiction to CSAM and a current hoard of over 80,000 images, in police custody, on his electronics. Pretty sure four weeks of talk therapy in the high desert ain’t gonna make a dent his brain-sickness. Unless, perhaps, the regimen included daily ayahuasca sessions coupled with round-the-clock behavior modification programming, reinforced with electro-shock therapy. Alas, that’s not what’s offered at Paradise Creek, a sober facility that eschews punitive solutions. Instead, the place focuses on treating “the trauma that resulted in the problematic sexual behavior.” In addition to the variety of therapy modalities, there are frequent recitations of affirmations (the 12 Pillars, written by the center’s owner-psychiatrist) plus 12-step meetings and many hour-long blocks set aside for personal reflection. Therapists at Paradise Creek also utilize guided meditations, some of which are akin to mild hypnotherapy. Plus the center’s director bragged their “arsenal of tools” includes EDMR, aka “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing,” a relatively new therapy, allegedly treating trauma through moving (or rolling) eyes in a certain manner while the subject processes traumatic memories. Whether EDMR works is up for debate, especially for an entitled old man like Cutler whose neural pathways are carved thick and deep in his big, meaty brain. The elephant in the room, of course, is how to gauge whether this sort of treatment has any impact on someone like Cutler. Remember, he’s been “addicted” for decades to criminal content that victimizes and scars children for life. Unfortunately, the assessment

Using the element of surprise, and a bottle of 100 proof bourbon, Crash gets Father X to tell his tale of woe. Get full access to The Crash Report at www.crashbarry.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Father X — as of August 2025 — is dead. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, though, the now-deceased priest was alive and busy molesting altar boys while pretending to be a Holy Man. This episode of “Unholy Fathers” explains how X was eventually dismissed from the priesthood. Also, we learn how the frustration and sadness of his victims is eternal. Photo taken about 10 hours before I interviewed X about his life and crimes. Get full access to The Crash Report at www.crashbarry.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is the first of four featuring the very bad Catholic priest I call “Father X” who served at St. Matthew’s Church in Indian Orchard in the mid-1980s. Yesterday I googled him and discovered the former “holy man” died about a month ago at the age of 84. Spoiler alert: in “Father X, part 3 and part 4” you’ll hear a secretly recorded conversation between me and the now-dead priest. After tracking him down to his bed-bug infested subsidized housing and feeding him 100 proof bourbon, I get him to confess his sins… and reveal the dark secret that tormented his family for decades. His short obituary, though, tells a much different version of his life. “After receiving his degree from divinity school, he was a parish priest from 1967 to 2006 and served in the Springfield, MA area. Following his retirement, he moved to [redacted] and made many good friends.” I’m redacting his name and death location, for the time being, because I don’t want his family to have to deal with his crimes publicly. However, he didn’t “retire” from the ministry, he was removed from the priesthood because church officials realized they could no longer cover up his crimes. This dirtbag had been molesting boys since the 1970s and church officials knew it. Get full access to The Crash Report at www.crashbarry.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Compared to the murderer Father Richard Lavigne, Father Charles Sullivan almost seems like a nice guy. But he wasn’t. This is the first of two episodes detailing the life and times of a priest who was arrested on his way to kill the Bishop, among other sins, and committed crimes against children. Get full access to The Crash Report at www.crashbarry.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.