My reaction to the breaking news on Wednesday of the federal charges against Diocese of Buffalo priest Jeffrey Nowak was simple.
“Holy shit!” I texted a former colleague. “Finally, someone is this whole sordid abuse scandal is getting arrested.”
Nowak has been on administrative leave since 2019, when my colleague Jeff Wick and I broke the story about Nowak’s sexual harassment of a seminarian. That story chronicled the lack of swift action by then-Bishop Richard J. Malone when the allegations were first brought to his attention.
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Malone in secret recordings that would lead to his eventual resignation called Nowak a “sick puppy.”
Wednesday night, I downloaded the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo — the first public glimpse of how “sick” Nowak really is.
The evidence collected by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Squad — initially forwarded to the agency by authorities in Scotland and New Zealand — is truly vile and disturbing. I do not even feel comfortable typing some of the disgusting things here, but you can read the full complaint below.
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