The lawsuit says the Norwich Diocese, its former bishop, Daniel Reilly, and its current vicar general, the Rev. Thomas McBride, should be held accountable under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — more commonly known as RICO — for conspiring to cover up the criminal conduct of abusive priests.
“RICO sounds like it involves gangsters, but it doesn’t necessarily. It involves this kind of conspiracy we’ve described,” said attorney Robert Reardon, who is representing Jane Doe. “We tried to demonstrate through a number of different instances, and through a course of certain conduct, how this conspiracy went. Whenever there was a complaint, the priest would be transferred.”
He said RICO statutes have been used elsewhere in the country in abusive priest cases, but he believes this is the first time they have been used in Connecticut.
Under RICO, a person who is a member of a criminal organization, or an “enterprise,” that has committed any two of 35 crimes within a 10-year period can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined as much as $25,000 and/or sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count.
In the case of the lawsuit against the Norwich Diocese, though, RICO also permits a private individual — such as Jane Doe — who has been damaged by the actions of an enterprise to sue and collect damages.
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