After decades of impunity, this fugitive father’s past finally caught up with him
Colombian priest Federico Fernandez-Baeza has been accused multiple times of molesting children. In 1987, a Texas grand jury indicted him on two second-degree felony counts of indecency with a child, charges that stemmed from his alleged abuse of two boys over two years.
But despite numerous allegations against him, Fernandez was allowed to leave the United States and move to Colombia after his former diocese of San Antonio reportedly paid more than $1 million to his alleged victims. In Colombia, he went right back into the church.
When GlobalPost went looking for Fernandez, we discovered not only was he still working for the Catholic church, he was now an administrator at a prestigious university, with regular access to students.
This is the story of how our attempt to confront Fernandez eventually forced the church into action. After decades of impunity, this fugitive father's past finally caught up with him.
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