Catholic Priest Accused of Sexually Assaulting 40 Boys Extradited to U.S. for Trial

The American Catholic priest, Arthur Perrault, has been extradited to the United States after 26 years of evading justice for alleged sexual abuse. Perrault, who was 80 years old at the time of his extradition, is accused of sexually assaulting multiple boys over several decades. The case highlights the long-standing issue of accountability within religious institutions and the challenges of bringing perpetrators to justice.

Perrault began his alleged abuse in 1965 while serving at the Nugatuck parish in Connecticut. Within less than nine weeks of his appointment, he was accused of discussing “extra” sexual matters with middle-school boys aged 7 and 8. These allegations, though not formally charged at the time, mark the beginning of a pattern that would span decades.

In 1967, Perrault was recommended by a psychologist associated with the Servant of the Holy Spirit to become a teacher at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later served as a priest in various parishes across New Mexico, including Santa Fe. During this time, he continued to be involved with children, eventually leading to further accusations of abuse.

In 1992, Perrault was accused of sexually abusing seven children in the parish between 1991 and 1992. On the eve of his indictment, he fled to Canada and then to Morocco, where he remained for 26 years. In 2017, he was discovered in Tangier, northern Morocco, working as a teacher in an English language school for children. Upon learning of his alleged crimes, he was released from his position in May 2017.

A 4-page federal complaint filed in 2015 alleges that Perrault sexually abused a boy at the Air Force base and Santa Fe National Cemetery between 1991 and 1992. Additionally, a 37-year-old victim, Kenneth Wolter, reported that Perrault had sexually abused him at least 40 times while he was a parish priest in St. Bernadette, New Mexico, in the early 1990s. Wolter was only 10 or 11 years old at the time.

At least 38 other boys in New Mexico have been accused of sexual abuse by Perrault. One victim described the impact of the abuse, stating that it “changed my life by touching me.” Another victim’s mother expressed grief over her son’s suicide, which she attributed to the lasting trauma of the abuse.

Perrault reportedly wrote an apology letter to one of the victims’ parents in 1971, falsely blaming the child for having “cancer.” The prosecutor later clarified that the child did not have cancer. The victim also recounted that Perrault smoked cigarettes, wore silk underwear, and gave gifts to boys who participated in rituals, often taking them to the foo.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)