DuPage County State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett announced today that Fred Lenczycki   dob: 6/12/44, entered pleas of guilty to three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for molesting three young boys in the Fall of 1984, while he was assigned to St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Hinsdale, Illinois.  The investigation of this case began in April of 2002 when State’s Attorney Birkett served a grand jury subpoena on the Joliet Diocese.  In all, 29 priests were investigated; 26, as a result of documents received from the Church and three independent complaints.  A thorough investigation was conducted and one priest was ultimately charged, the defendant in this case.  The Church’s own conduct in removing the defendant and placing him out of state gave us the ability to charge the defendant because the defendant was not an Illinois resident; and therefore, the otherwise three year statute of limitations did not run. 

As the investigation revealed, Father Lenczycki had been abusing young boys from at least 1979 up to 1991 when he was reassigned to a hospital ministry in Missouri.  As the attached factual basis, which was read in open court today demonstrates, the Joliet Diocese was aware of the defendant’s perverted behavior and did not report his conduct to civil authorities.  It was behavior like this that prompted State’s Attorney Birkett to draft legislation requiring clergy to become mandatory reporters under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

The sentence of five years, while significant, will not undo the harm this defendant caused to innocent children who now, as adults, continue to suffer.  “No child is prepared for the possibility of molestation by a trusted adult, especially a member of the clergy,” stated State’s Attorney Birkett.  As one of the victim’s stated, the defendant’s ultimate fate for what he has done lies in the hands of God.  While the defendant was eligible for a sentence of probation, Judge Ann Jorgensen agreed that the defendant’s history of abuse removed that option from the court’s consideration. 

State’s Attorney Birkett expressed his sincere appreciation to the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Investigator Cheryl York, former Assistant State’s Attorney and now Judge Dan Guerin, Assistant State’s Attorney Alex McGimpsey and to every victim who was abused by Fred Lenczycki for their courage and concern for others.  State’s Attorney Birkett also acknowledged that the Joliet Diocese did cooperate with this investigation by furnishing the subpoenaed documents.

“ In my nearly 23 years as a prosecutor I have rarely been more disgusted with the facts of a case than I was by the conduct of this man.  When he is released from prison, it is my hope that he will never prey on another child.” A copy of today’s transcript, the exhibits and the factual basis will be sent to Bishop Gregory and to the Vatican. “It is my hope that prompt action will be taken by them to formally remove the defendant from any form of ministry as a Catholic priest. It is clear that during the history of this abuse the Joliet Diocese placed a priority on protecting their own instead of the children.”