Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn convicted of child endangerment
Msgr. William Lynn enters Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center on March 26, 2012. Lynn, who oversaw the assignment of priests to schools and parishes across the Philadelphia region, faces accusations that he failed to keep priests accused of sexual abuse away from minors.
Monsignor William Lynn, a Roman Catholic church official, was convicted on Friday on one count of child endangerment but acquitted of conspiracy in Philadelphia's clergy child sex abuse trial, according to CBS News.
Reuters reports that makes Lynn the highest-ranking American Roman Catholic official convicted in the church's abuse scandal.
The jury acquitted Lynn on two other counts, Reuters reports. He faces a maximum of up to seven years in prison for the conviction.
The jury had a hard time reaching a verdict, deliberating 13 days before reaching a decision. As recently as Wednesday the jurors announced they were deadlocked on four of the five charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Lynn oversaw about 800 priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese from 1992 to 2004 and was accused of trying to hide allegations of sexual abuse by shuffling priests to new positions, Reuters reported.
Philadelphia is the sixth-largest archdiocese in the US with some With 1.5 million members.
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