Robber Admits Priest Abuse Claim was False

A man who prosecutors say falsely accused four Catholic priests in four states of sexually abusing him has admitted to a federal judge in Portland, Ore., that he filed a phony lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Portland.

Shamont Sapp told U.S. District Judge Anna Brown on Tuesday that he was pleading guilty to mail fraud.

The Oregonian says that as part of his plea agreement he’s expected to serve no more than 41 months in prison.

Prosecutors say Sapp was serving bank robbery sentences at the U.S. penitentiary in Allenwood, Pa., in 2008 when he began researching old news stories about pedophile priests.

The newspaper says the cost of disproving his claim against the Portland archdiocese came to more than $60,000.

Prosecutors say he also made false claims against priests in Arizona, Kentucky and Washington. He failed to win a judgment in any of those states.