Defrocked priest, 84, gets house arrest for lying to FBI

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say an 84-year-old defrocked priest has been sentenced to five years of probation for lying to the FBI about whether he knew a former altar boy and his family. Robert Brennan, of Perryville, Maryland, must spend the first two years on house arrest. He admits in a plea agreement that he lied when agents visited his home in 2019 as part of a broader federal probe of priest abuse in Pennsylvania. Debbie McIlmail, the accuser’s mother, says she is disappointed but not surprised by the sentence. She says the family at least had the opportunity on Thursday to face Brennan in court.