A Kansas City priest has pleaded guilty to using five girls, ranging in age from 2 to 9, to produce or attempt to produce child pornography.
The 46-year-old Reverend Shawn Ratigan faces up to 30 years in prison on each federal count. In exchange for the guilty pleas, eight other charges involving the same victims were dismissed.
Ratigan is still charged in Clay County with three felony counts of possessing child pornography.
The case has called a spotlight on the Kansas City Diocese’s handling of Ratigan’s crimes, which has led to civil and criminal cases still pending against Bishop Robert Finn and the diocese.
