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Former priest sentenced in sex abuse cases in Michigan’s UP

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IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. – A former priest has been ordered to spend eight to 15 years in prison in connection with the sexual abuse of teens in the 1980s in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Gary Jacobs, 75, was sentenced Tuesday in Dickinson County Circuit Court in Iron Mountain for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

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Jacobs also was sentenced in May in Ontonagon County to eight to 15 years in prison following a guilty plea in April to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The sentences will be served concurrently.

The Diocese of Marquette has said Jacobs was removed from ministry in 1988 and left the state. He was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was charged in January 2020.

“This sentencing in Dickinson County marks the end of more than a year’s worth of work to secure justice for survivors of Mr. Jacobs’ heinous crimes,” Nessel said. “It is my sincere hope this prison sentence brings some closure to those who trusted him.”


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