Former Bel Air Priest Sentenced In Child Sex Abuse Case

BEL AIR, MD — A former priest from Bel Air was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, prosecutors said Wednesday. He pleaded guilty last fall to the charges.

Fernando Cristancho, 65, met the victim – a boy identified as "John Doe" — when he was a priest at St. Ignatius in Hickory, from 1999 to 2002, according to his plea agreement.

In fall 2001, Cristancho had three triplets, and he arranged for John Doe to come over to watch them. According to the plea agreement, while John Doe was over, the priest kissed him and acted as if they were in a romantic relationship, told him he loved him, showed the boy pornography and asked him to do things they saw on the videos. He had sex with the boy multiple times, the plea agreement said.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore revoked Cristancho's ability to minister in the archdiocese in 2002 when he refused to relocate to another parish.

After that, he continued to hold services in a parishioner's home, where his victim served as a lector or altar server, according to court records.

Cristancho also produced child pornography of four minors who were under his care, according to his plea agreement.

In all, Cristancho admitted he victimized at least five children from infancy to age 13, his plea agreement states. Four of the victims were related to him.

One was an infant when he took pornographic pictures of her; another was 2.5 years old and nearly 5 years old when he took pictures and videos of him; and two were 11 years old when the photos were taken, according to the plea agreement.

When Cristancho was in Walgreens in September 2017 to use photo equipment and asked for assistance, the employee helping him saw images of naked children on his phone, including one with a bite mark on a boy's buttocks, according to the agreement. The worker notified police, and a search warrant was executed at Cristancho's home on Hayden Way in Bel Air on Sept. 19, 2017.

Multiple devices seized in the search provided evidence that would have been presented at trial, including many pornographic images Cristancho produced when his victims were younger than 5 years old. However, on the first day of trial — Monday, Oct. 4 — Cristancho entered a guilty plea.

“Cristancho is finally being held accountable for his horrific crimes,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron said in a statement released Wednesday after sentencing.

When Cristancho submitted his plea agreement in October 2021, it stated that he faced 10 to 25 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander ordered him to serve 22 years in federal prison and register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or studies upon his release.

“Let this sentence serve as a deterrent to anyone that seeks to sexually abuse children, especially those in trusted positions intended to be a safe place and haven for children," Barron said. "The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will relentlessly pursue and prosecute predators that exploit the trust of children and families.”

One group responded to the sentencing with concern.

“Given his history, we are glad to see this sentence. However, we will remain watchful for Cristancho’s parole hearing,” the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said in a statement. “Abusers never stop abusing and it is clear to us that Cristancho presents a threat to children.”

See Also:

• Former Bel Air Priest Admits To Sex Abuse, Coercion Of Minor
• Former Priest In Bel Air Faces Porn Charges