Mendham Priest Target Of Extortion Plot

Mendham, New Jersey --

Another blow for a Roman Catholic church in Morris County that has been rocked by priest sex abuse allegations.

The pastor of Saint Joseph's Church in Mendham has resigned from that post after police say someone on the Internet tried to blackmail him online.

Police say the 58-year-old priest e-mailed a photo of himself to another person. The priest doesn't know how it ended up in the hands of another person, who sought payment to keep the photo private.

Philip Briganti is not a suspect, but he resigned from his post to shield the parish's 17-hundred families from more controversy.

Since 2002, as many as 21 men have alleged they were sexually abused by a former priest at Saint Joseph's between 1968 and 1982 when James Hanley also served a parish in Pompton Plains.

Hanley was never tried because the statute of limitations had expired. However, he admitted his guilt and was removed from the priesthood in 2003."

Read the article at 1010 WINS dated Feb 23, 2005

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