Sentenced to 12 Years of Prison Ex-Priest Who Abused Students at a School in Caballito The Court charged Fernando Enrique Picciochi with the crime of corruption of minors, compounded by the fact that he was in charge of the education of the students at Colegio Marianista. He allegedly sexually abused at least five adolescents. Clarín September 25, 2012 [Translated into English by BishopAccountability.org. Click below to see original article in Spanish.] http://www.bishopaccountability.org/Argentina/news/2012_09_25_Clarin_Sentenced_to_re_Picciochi_PICCIOCHI_Spanish.pdf Today, the Criminal Court sentenced Fernando Enrique Picciochi, ex-priest of the Marianista School in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Caballito, to 12 years of prison for sexual abuse of at least five children who were studying at that institution. The convicted Picciochi was escorted out of the courtroom by officers of the Federal Penitentiary, while his victims and their families remained inside. “Picciochi was found guilty of first-degree corruption of minors. The sentence took into account his position as educator of the children,” explained Diego Freedman, lawyer for Sebastián Cuattromo, one of the victims. The oral argument began on August 22, following by nine other hearings that came to reveal three other cases of abuse in addition to the charges by the two plaintiffs. “During the process, the defense was unable to refute even a single accusation that we presented,” stated Freedman. The case began in 2000, when Cuattromo and his peer – who asked that his identity not be revealed – condemned Picciochi for abuses committed when they were 7th grade students at the Marianista School. In September of that year, following his order of detention, Picciochi fled. An international order of arrest was issued. “In 2001, an Interpol communication revealed that he was in the United States,” said Cuattromo. He was ultimately detained in the U.S., and remained there in captivity for about three years before being extradited to Argentina in 2010. Although at the beginning of the trial Picciochi refused to appear in court, he did defend himself at one of the final hearings, once again refuting the accusations with the argument that “they were doing it for money.”

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