Prayers for justice ANSWERED
Rev. Arthur Perrault finally in court to face sex-abuse charges
In the same week a man once known as “America’s Dad” was led away in handcuffs to begin serving a prison sentence for rape, another man once beloved as a parish priest, choir director and military chaplain in Albuquerque was ordered held in jail pending trial on federal charges of sexual abuse.
There are other parallels to the cases of Bill Cosby and the Rev. Arthur Perrault. Both men, now in their 80s and infirm, reportedly used their charisma and positions of power in younger years to prey on dozens of victims — Cosby by luring women to bedrooms and hotel rooms where he drugged and raped them; Perrault by grooming vulnerable boys with his position of authority and charm, showering them with dinners and gifts as a prelude to seduction. Victims recall his debonair pipe smoking and silk underwear.
And both eventually were called to face justice through determined efforts of victims, lawyers and, in the case of Perrault, the FBI in Albuquerque. In Perrault’s case, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Albuquerque lawyer Brad Hall, who represents victims, deserve immense credit for their persistence in finding a way to bring Perrault back from Morocco, where he ended up after fleeing Albuquerque in 1992, and a way to move forward with a prosecution for alleged crimes committed many years ago.
Where the stories diverge is that Cosby’s legal journey is nearly done. He has been tried and convicted in federal court and, barring reversal on appeal, will serve a prison sentence of three to 10 years. And details of Cosby’s predatory conduct are well known.
Meanwhile, Perrault’s journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning. At this point, he faces federal criminal charges of sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy while serving as a chaplain on Kirtland Air Force Base from 1991 to 1992.
He is alleged to have at least 38 victims in New Mexico — whose stories are not as well known as many of Cosby’s accusers. The case in which he is charged is the only one federal prosecutors have found so far in which they have jurisdiction because it allegedly occurred on a military installation, and the alleged assaults coupled with the victim’s age gave them a way around the statute of limitations. They are asking any other victims to come forward, so more charges are possible.
Another major difference between the cases as it impacts New Mexicans, particularly the state’s large Roman Catholic population, is that it is likely to shed additional light on how Perrault was able to continue abusing boys for more than two decades while serving in various posts in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe — even though court records allege other priests and church leaders knew of his activities. In fact, he was shipped to New Mexico in the mid-1960s to undergo treatment at the notorious Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs for treatment/therapy due to “homosexual approaches to some of the young men with whom he was working.”
After three months of “treatment,” Perrault was assigned — incredibly— to teach religion at St. Pius X High School. In a period of a few years beginning in the 1960s, civil court records allege, Perrault abused Victim No. 1 at the archbishop’s house, Victims Nos. 2, 3 and 5 at Queen of Heaven Parish, Victim No. 4 at Perrault’s home and Victim No. 6 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
During this time period, he became a counselor with Upward Bound at the now-defunct University of Albuquerque while remaining at St. Pius and working at Queen of Heaven Parish on weekends.
There were letters of complaint to the then-archbishop as early as 1971. Still, Perrault remained active as a priest — and records allege, as a predator — until he fled Albuquerque in 1992.
It’s not clear how Hall and the FBI managed to track Perrault to Morocco, or how law enforcement convinced the Moroccan government to expel him when the United States and Morocco have no formal extradition treaty, so returning him to face the justice system is a major accomplishment.
In his court appearance Sept. 21, Perrault pleaded not guilty. U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Molzen found he was a flight risk and not suited to a halfway house. Prosecutors had argued Perrault had the ability to manipulate other residents, and Molzen took note of his “charm.”
Meanwhile, many of Cosby’s victims last week expressed satisfaction and relief that at last the man who abused them would serve time in prison. In New Mexico, Perrault’s alleged victims are still waiting, but at least see a glimmer of hope.
And equally important, Perrault’s case has the potential to shine a light once and for all on the culpability of church officials who allowed a man described in records as a “sexual predator” to exploit and abuse for more than 20 years the young boys he was supposed to guide and protect as their spiritual adviser, teacher and priest.