One of South Florida’s most notorious priests — accused by several men of molesting them in their youth — was in Broward Circuit Court Monday morning pleading no contest to half a dozen criminal charges.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Gillespie accepted the plea deal and will render sentencing Jan. 28.
The Rev. Neil Doherty faces 12 to 15 years imprisonment under the agreement.
Doherty, now retired from the Archdiocese of Miami, has served at several South Florida churches, including St. Vincent’s in Margate, St. Anthony in Fort Lauderdale and St. Phillip in Northwest Miami-Dade.
He has a long list of accusers who say he used his position of power to drug and rape them when they were boys. Some of the accusations date back to the 1970s but came to light only in recent years.
His accusers say Doherty used his position to molest young victims. In several cases, Doherty is accused of slipping drugs into drinks to make boys sleepy and molesting them while they were unconscious.
Documents released in 2006 as part of the Broward case included an interview with the priest’s longtime secretary, who said the archdiocese was aware of allegations that Doherty had been engaging in inappropriate relationships with young boys.
Despite the many civil suits filed against him, this will be the first criminal punishment for Doherty as a result of the accusations.
In most cases, criminal charges could not be filed because the statute of limitations had passed for alleged events.
However, several civil cases involving him have been settled out of court. The first case that went to a jury ended with a $100 million award to the victim.
On Monday, Doherty, 69, pled no contest to charges including lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd acts in the presence of a child and sexual battery on a victim younger than 12, court records show.
Doherty spent three decades serving in Broward and Miami-Dade parishes, including time as the archdiocese’s director of vocations.
Doherty continued to serve as a priest until he was placed on administrative leave in 2002.
Ex-South Florida priest pleads no contest to sex charges
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Ex-South Florida priest pleads no contest to sex charges
