John J. Geoghan — Archdiocese of Boston
A Boston archdiocese priest reassigned to parishes with children for decades despite repeated allegations and treatment for pedophilia. Convicted in 2002 of indecent assault and battery and sentenced to 9 to 10 years; killed in prison in 2003.
Roman Catholic Convicted
- Person
- John J. Geoghan
- Role
- Priest
- Institution
- Archdiocese of Boston
- Location
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Status
- Convicted (2002)
- Sentence
- 9 to 10 years; died in prison, 2003
Case in brief
Tier 1 · Court-proven
John J. Geoghan was a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston who was reassigned to several parish posts involving children even after treatment for pedophilia, over decades in which the archdiocese received repeated allegations against him. The Boston Globe reported that he allegedly molested more than 130 children; that figure is an allegation count, not a conviction count, and this file keeps it labeled as such. Geoghan was convicted of indecent assault and battery and sentenced in 2002 to 9 to 10 years. He was killed in prison in 2003.
The handling of Geoghan’s assignments — documented in church files released through litigation and reporting — became the central case of the Boston scandal. Cardinal Bernard Law’s response to allegations against Geoghan and others was reassignment; Law resigned on December 13, 2002.
The institution
The Archdiocese of Boston. Personnel decisions about Geoghan were made at the archdiocesan level across multiple assignments; the record of those decisions comes from the archdiocese’s own files, released in litigation.
The record
Tier 1 · Court-proven
- Conviction (2002): indecent assault and battery; sentence of 9 to 10 years.
- Death: killed in prison in 2003.
- Institutional record: released church files documented repeated allegations over decades, treatment for pedophilia, and reassignment to parish posts involving children afterward.
Status
Closed. Geoghan is deceased (2003). No post-conviction proceedings are pending.
Attributed allegations — not court findings
Tier 2 · Attributed allegations
The Boston Globe’s reporting put the number of children Geoghan allegedly molested at more than 130. That is a reporting figure covering allegations, most never charged; the single conviction above is what a court established.
Records requested & responses
This archive has not filed records requests in this case. The file rests on the published sources below and will be updated if court or institutional records are obtained, or if that changes.
Video coverage
Verified coverage of this case, embedded from the publishers’ own channels — this archive does not download or re-upload other outlets’ video. Each segment below was verified through the YouTube Data API on October 25, 2026; the channel and date in each caption are the API’s own records.
- Wikipedia, “John Geoghan” (conviction, sentence, reassignment after treatment, Law resignation), summarizing the court and Boston Globe record: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Geoghan
- Pattern research file, §2.1 (compiled October 18, 2026): us-church-abuse-charges-pattern-report.md — see Sources note on The Pattern.
Filed October 18, 2026, from the published sources below. Minor victims are never named or identified in this file.