PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (LifeSiteNews) — Father James Jackson of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) and former pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty last week in a federal child pornography case.
According to a press release from the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, on Thursday, June 8, the 68-year-old Fr. Jackson pleaded guilty in federal court “to a charge of receipt of child pornography, admitting to a federal judge that he downloaded files of child sexual abuse using a peer-to-peer-file-sharing network.”
Per the press release, “According to information presented to the court, in September 2021, an East Providence Detective assigned to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force identified an IP address assigned to the rectory at St. Mary’s Church that was being utilized to share files of child sexual abuse material.”
The statement continued:
A court-authorized search of a computer and digital device located in a church rectory bedroom utilized by Father Jackson was found to contain images and videos of child sexual abuse, including multiple images involving prepubescent females, some of which involved acts of bestiality and sadomasochism. A forensic audit of the devices subsequently identified over 12,000 images and 1,300 videos of child pornography.
The defendant, charged by way of a federal criminal complaint and arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence on November 3, 2021, was later released while awaiting trial to the custody of his sister, who resides in Kansas.
In June 2022, members of the Kansas ICAC identified a computer sharing child pornography via a peer-to-peer network. Through investigation, the IP address was traced to the residence in Kansas where Father Jackson was staying. Acting on a court-authorized search warrant, members of the Kansas ICAC seized a portable computer and an external hard drive from Jackson’s bedroom; an analysis of the storage device revealed evidence that numerous files with names indicative of child sexual abuse material had been deleted.
In a pre-trial motion to dismiss the additional Kansas charges as part of the federal trial, Jackson’s attorney argued that police were basing the charges on file names, since they could not see the deleted contents of the allegedly pornographic files. They also stated that the priest’s ownership of the hard drive would be contested if brought to trial.
Opposing the dismissal of the charges, the Rhode Island District Attorney argued that although the removal of files had left only records of file names associated with pornography, other computer-generated child pornography images could still be observed by a forensic analysis of the hard drive’s thumb cache.
Jackson’s trial in Rhode Island was scheduled to begin June 20. On June 8, he pleaded guilty “to a charge of receipt of child pornography” – a charge based on his initial arrest in Rhode Island – in exchange for a reduced sentence and the dismissal of the further charge of possession of child pornography. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11 by a federal judge.
Jackson had initially pleaded not guilty to all federal charges. Now with the plea bargain, prosecutors will seek the mandatory minimum of five years in prison and will move to dismiss the second count of possession of child pornography, according to Jim Rosenberg, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The maximum penalty for either receipt or possession of child pornography is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, offered the following statement at the time of Jackson’s initial arrest: “The use of child pornography is a serious crime and a grave sin. The charges against Father Jackson are very disturbing to all and must be taken very seriously. At the same time, I renew my pastoral concern and offer my fervent prayers for the good people of St. Mary Parish during this difficult time.”
After Jackson pleaded guilty last week, the FSSP issued the following statement:
The North American Province of the Fraternity of St. Peter is aware that on June 8, 2023, Father James Jackson entered a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced sentence. The Fraternity of St. Peter pledges to cooperate with civil and ecclesiastical authorities in this case. Father Jackson has not had faculties to function publicly as a priest since his arrest in October 2021.
Until Father Jackson was arrested, the Fraternity of St. Peter was not aware of anything in his words or behavior that could give rise to suspicion concerning such actions. Crimes of this type are execrable, and Catholics should pray for the victims of pornography and work to put an end to its industry.