A Roman Catholic priest admitted Thursday that he exploited children to produce his own pornography and committed some of his crimes in a church choir loft.
Shawn Ratigan, 46, who lives in Independence, Mo., pled guilty to violating five young victims to make "sexually explicit" pictures of them, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday afternoon.
"When a sexual predator wears a collar, his crimes impact the entire community," Acting U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark said in a statement.
Ratigan – who previously served as a parish pastor at St. Patrick's Church in Kansas City – exploited victims ranging in age from 2 to 12 years old, the DOJ said.
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