Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced the release of a report by the Department of Attorney General concerning allegations of sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct that took place in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

The report was released to acknowledge the reports of abuse from victims and to report the Department’s findings. The document is a compilation of excerpts from the information obtained from the tip line, victim interviews, police investigations, open-source media, paper documents seized from the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and the electronic documents found on the diocesan computers, as well as reports of allegations disclosed by the Diocese.

The list of priests for which there were allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since Jan. 1, 1950, for the Diocese of Grand Rapids that was established in 1882, is derived from information gleaned from a search warrant that was executed against the Diocese of Grand Rapids on Oct. 3, 2018, and from the tipline operated by the Department of Attorney General since 2018. There are 51 entries on this list, and of these 51 priests, 38 were ordained or incardinated by the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

“Accountability does not end with criminal prosecution,” Nessel said. “Accountability includes transparency, acknowledgement and a commitment to believing in and supporting victims. No matter how much time has passed, survivors deserve to be heard, and by releasing these reports, we hope to honor the courage of victims and ensure their experiences are no longer hidden.”

The Diocese of Grand Rapids agreed to provide reports of abuse to the Department of Attorney General. Victims often reach out to their faith leaders to share stories of alleged abuse. The willingness of the Diocese to provide information was instrumental in the compilation of the report.

The report contains detailed descriptions of allegations of sexual abuse and other sexual misconduct, including grooming and misuse of authority against minors and adults. The possible criminal prosecution of many of these allegations is barred by the statute of limitations, or because the accused priest is deceased, or for other allegations because the conduct did not violate Michigan law or the person who alleged the sexual abuse did not wish to pursue criminal charges.

The information is being released to the public as an acknowledgment to the victims of these alleged crimes and as a public accounting of the resources allocated to the Department of Attorney General to investigate and prosecute clergy abuse. It is important to note that a criminal charge is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is also important to note that the inclusion in this report does not reflect a determination by the Department that the allegations are credible or otherwise substantiated or indicative of a crime. This is the fifth of what will be seven separate reports, one regarding each of the six Dioceses and the Archdiocese of Detroit. The Department of Attorney General released its report regarding the Diocese of Marquette on Oct. 27, 2022; its report regarding the Diocese of Gaylord on Jan. 8, 2024; its report regarding the Diocese of Kalamazoo on May 22, 2024, and its report regarding the Diocese of Lansing on Dec. 16, 2024.

In October 2018, 42 Michigan State Police troopers, five officers from different law enforcement agencies and 15 special agents from the Department of Attorney General executed search warrants at Michigan’s seven dioceses. In that effort, they seized 220 boxes of paper documents and more than 3.5 million digital documents.

“This report is only possible through the victims who came forward and the dedicated work of the Michigan State Police and members of my office as part of the Clergy Abuse Investigation,” Nessel said. “I am incredibly grateful for their commitment on these difficult cases.”