— A fake friar convicted of molesting a boy during a church trip a
decade ago was in court Tuesday afternoon to face charges he sexually
abused another teenage boy.
of child molestation, crimes that could send him to prison for the rest
of his life, according to the
Falco has a history of posing as a Franciscan monk
to gain trust within Catholic communities, according to law enforcement
officials. He was staying with a
The family knew him as “Brother Tom” and believed he was a clergyman, according to
Falco allegedly began fondling the teen at the end of November. The abuse continued on and off until last week, when
police followed up on a tip about a sex offender living in their city
who had not followed state registration requirements and arrested
Falco, Wagstaffe said.
At that time, Falco was wanted in
He had been posing as a monk at a church in
until his true identity was discovered. He was arrested by sheriff’s
deputies there, but freed because he was not considered a threat to the
community. Authorities believe that’s when he fled
A decade ago, Falco was convicted in
Brasuell, now 26 and living in the
“There was a minute there of anger and then I saw
him look over at me and he got startled,” Brasuell said. “He wasn’t
expecting, I think, to see myself or my family there. … You could see
he was shaking, so I felt good for being there and facing him.”
Brasuell, his parents and a close childhood friend
watched the proceedings. An attorney was appointed to represent Falco,
who returns to court March. 2 to enter a plea.
Falco is being held in
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The