Is Rudy Guiliani Enabling A Sex Offender?

The Awareness Center (the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault) supports SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) efforts in challenging Giuliani to "put up or shut up" about allegations against Msgr. Alan Placa, who was suspended by his bishop yet remains on Giuliani's payroll. Giuliani insists Placa's been falsely accused.

SNAP wants Giuliani to either file a bar complaint against the Long Island prosecutor who publicized the allegations against the Placa or admit that the priest is guilty. As a citizen, a lawyer, an ex-prosecutor and former public official, the group believes Giuliani has a moral and legal duty to take action if he really believes prosecutors and grand jurors have done an injustice to Placa.

In recent months, SNAP has urged Giuliani to fire Placa and apologize for his recklessness.

A 2003 Long Island grand jury report accuses Placa of sexually abusing children and helping "cover up the sexual abuse of children by other priests" He "was part of a three-person team that handled allegations of abuse by clergy for the Diocese of Rockville Centre" that "resulted in the prevention, hindrance and delay in the discovery of criminal conduct by priests." In 2002, Placa's bishop suspended him from active ministry. He's been on the payroll of Giuliani Partners since then.

Giuliani and Placa are boyhood friends and have remained close throughout their adult lives.

Placa also urged bragged of how Rockville Centre's handling of abuse claims had resulted in the "lowest ratio of losses to assets of any diocese" and that "In the past 10 years, I have been involved in more than two hundred such cases (across) the country." Placa also worked for a Worcester, Mass. Center for pedophile priests. According to the grand jury, several adults testified that they were molested as kids by Placa, including an Albany man named Richard Tollner and two others.

SNAP's letter to Giuliani was sent yesterday by fax and e mail to his campaign headquarters. A copy of the letter is available on SNAP's website: SNAPnetwork.org
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/05_06/2007_06_22_Koppelman_GiulianisLoyalty.htm

Contact:
David Clohessy (National Director, SNAP) 314 566 9790 cell
Barbara Blaine (President, SNAP) 312 399 4747
Barbara Dorris (Outreach Director, SNAP) 314 503 0003 cell, 314 862 7688