Retired Missouri priest sentenced for possessing child porn

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A 72-year-old retired Catholic priest in St. Louis who used thousands of images of child pornography to make PowerPoint presentations has been sentenced to five years in prison.

James Beighlie pleaded guilty in October to two counts of possession of child pornography.

At Tuesday’s sentencing, he was ordered to pay $4,750 to one of this victims, and $22,000 for a fund that will go toward other child victims of crimes.

Prosecutors say Beighlie had been using child pornography since at least 2008.

An investigation began in 2021 after co-workers at the Congregation of the Mission in St. Louis found compromising images of Beighlie on a church printer.