Oliver O'Grady

Oliver Francis O'Grady (born June 5, 1945) is an Irish laicized Catholic priest who raped, molested and abused at least 25 children in California from 1973 onwards. His abuse and Cardinal Roger Mahony's attempts to hide the crimes are the subject of Amy J. Berg's documentary film Deliver Us from Evil in 2006.

Born in Limerick, O'Grady was ordained into the priesthood at a seminary in Thurles during the late 1960s. He emigrated to the United States in 1971. He served as a priest at St Anne's Catholic Church in Lodi, California from 1971 to 1978. He later served at Church of the Presentation in , Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Turlock, California, St. Andrew's Parish in San Andreas, California, and St Anthony's Catholic Church in Hughson, California. He claimed to have been himself molested by a priest at the age of 10, and that he was involved in sexual abuse in his own family, both as perpetrator and victim.

In 1993 he was convicted on four counts of "lewd and lascivious acts" on two minors, the brothers Joseph and James Howard, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Attorney Jeff Anderson said O'Grady repeatedly molested the Howards between 1978 and 1991, from age three to 13. Anderson claimed church officials knew that O'Grady had abused children as early as 1976 and 1984 but had done nothing. Police had been informed of earlier charges and had declined to file charges. Bishop Roger Mahony sent O'Grady to a psychiatrist for an evaluation and the second opinion said the counseling was satisfactory; the second opinion did not recommend he be removed from ministry, nor established a diagnosis of pedophilia.". In 1998 a civil jury ordered the Catholic Diocese of Stockton to pay US$30 million in damages to the brothers. A judge later reduced the amount to $7 million. O'Grady was paroled from prison in 2000 after serving only seven years, and went to Ireland after being deported from the United States.

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