Former Pittsburgh priest pleads guilty to child sex abuse in Massachusetts

PITTSBURGH — A former Pittsburgh priest pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an altar boy in Massachusetts.

Father James Randall Gillette admitted to the crime. He was assigned to Saint Paul of the Cross Monastery on Pittsburgh’s South Side in the mid-'90s.

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The victim, Anthony Sgherza, choked back tears Monday as he spoke about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gillette. From the ages of 9 to 13, Sgherza said he was repeatedly assaulted by Gillette, who was a priest in Massachusetts at the time.

Sgherza is now in his 50s and said he deals with the mental and emotional problems the abuse caused on a daily basis. His attorney filed a civil complaint in 2014, but it was dismissed because Sgherza received a settlement from the church.

Six years later, Gillette pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse charges.

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