A former Maryland priest has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release for coercion and enticement of a child he met through the church to engage in illegal sexual activity.
U.S. Attorney Erek Barron announced Wednesday that Fernando Cristancho, who served as a priest from 1999 to 2002 at St. Ignatius Church in Hickory, also admitted producing nude images of four other children.
Upon his release, Cristancho must register as a sex offender.
A statement posted on the archdiocese’s website says Cristancho has not been permitted to function as a priest in the archdiocese since 2002 when he refused an assignment to another parish.
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