Priest had sex with inmates
2008-05-06 09:08
Fort Worth - A Roman Catholic priest who had sex with two inmates while working as a chaplain at a women's prison, was sentenced on Monday to two years in federal prison.
Vincent Inametti, 48, was taken into custody after he was sentenced, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in its online edition on Monday.
Inametti, who is originally from Nigeria, had worked at Federal Medical Centre Carswell in Fort Worth for seven years until last autumn, according to documents filed in the case. He pleaded guilty in November to two counts of sexual abuse of a ward.
Although he faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, Inametti's lack of a criminal history suggested that he might get a sentence between 10 and 16 months.
But US District Judge Terry Means said Inametti had violated trust as an employee of the federal prison and as a priest.
"For this he will face a higher authority than this one," Means said.
Both women were serving federal sentences for drug distribution conspiracy convictions. One met Inametti in 2004 after attending church services and becoming involved in the choir and Bible study classes, authorities said. The other met the priest a few months later after being assigned as a clerk for the prison's religious services department.
Inametti is a naturalised US citizen who was ordained in his native country, Nigeria, according to documents filed in the case.
- AP