Just hours after the first convicted defendant in Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s clergy abuse investigation was sentenced today, Nessel has announced the second conviction in her department’s ongoing investigation, and he’s a former priest from Coloma first charged last summer.
Nessel says that 57 year old Brian Stanley of Coloma, entered a guilty plea to one felony count of Attempted False Imprisonment during his final pretrial conference today before Allegan County Circuit Court Chief Judge Margaret Bakker. Stanley faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years.
Stanley was charged in August after being accused of secreting away a teen-aged boy and holding him against his will in the janitor’s room of St. Margaret’s Church in 2013. Stanley reportedly immobilized the young man by wrapping him tightly in plastic wrap, then used masking tape as additional binding and to cover his eyes and mouth. Stanley left the victim, bound and alone, in the janitor’s room for an extended period of time before returning and eventually letting him go.
Nessel says, “Mr. Stanley’s decision to plead guilty to Attempted False Imprisonment ensures that he will be held accountable for the pain and suffering he has caused,” adding, “His guilty plea marks the second conviction in our aggressive pursuit of justice for all those who have been victimized by priests or members of the clergy. Our department remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing a swift end to an era of abuse that has hidden in plain sight for too long.”
Stanley’s sentencing date has been set for January 27, 2020.
