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Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged 11 as part of a sweeping investigation into abuse at Catholic churches in Michigan.
A former Macomb County priest faces up to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him of sexual abuse.
Neil Kalina was accused of fondling a child and giving him drugs and alcohol when he was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982 to 1985.
A jury on Friday found him guilty of two counts second-degree criminal sexual conduct and not guilty of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26.
Kalina, who left the public ministry in 1993, was arrested in Littlerock, Calif., in May 2019.
Michigan Attorney General charged him as part of her office’s ongoing investigation of sexual assault in the Catholic Church.
In October 2018, Nessel’s office executed a search warrant related to clergy abuse and seized 1.5 million paper documents and 3.5 million electronic documents. Since then, 11 people tied to the Catholic Church have been charged in connection with the investigation.
“This conviction marks the sixth one secured by my clergy abuse team,” Nessel said in a statement Monday. “It’s also a reminder of our ongoing commitment to this investigation and the survivors in these cases. We will continue to fight for justice.”
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