Fr. McGrath Committed Anal Rape Of Providence Teen: Lawyer

NEW LENOX, IL - In 1995-1996, Bob Krankvich was a student at Providence Catholic High School when he started drawing attention and affection from his high school principal, Augustinian priest, Father Richard J. McGrath. Krankvich was only 13 or 14. Father McGrath was about 50. The Providence principal began counseling the young boy regarding the teenager's personal problems.

The counseling sessions occurred inside McGrath's office at Providence high school, Krankvich said. On other occasions, the male student visited Father McGrath inside the Providence Friary. "I just felt special," Krankvich told reporters on Thursday.

Krankvich, who is now in his mid-3os and resides in Crest Hill, revealed on Thursday during a press conference that Father McGrath forced him to perform various sexual acts including sodomy while he was only a child. By the time Krankvich was in his early twenties he was confused and suicidal. "I had questioned my sexuality for years ... When I got out of the Marines, I should have been this manly man, but then inside, I was feeling a child, like I was weak and I couldn't handle anything and I tried to commit suicide numerous times. The only way I knew how to deal with it was to mask feelings and my hurt with drugs and alcohol."

Nowadays, he believes his life is on the road to recovery. "I'm getting help now. I'm enrolled in a mental health program out in Plainfield. I have psychiatrists and counselors. It's an ongoing battle that never stops. I'm hoping that this (lawsuit and press conference) will bridge the gap and put this behind me."'

According to Chicago attorney Jeff Anderson, the purpose of the counseling sessions was to groom Krankvich with affection "for (McGrath's) own needs." Over the course of roughly a year, Father McGrath had anal sex with the boy and also oral sex, according to the details revealed by Krankvich and his lawyers Anderson and Jeff Pearlman during a Thursday afternoon press conference in downtown Chicago.

"Bob is so truthful and so courageous," his lawyer told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

At Thursday's press conference, Krankvich and his lawyers said that it is their understanding that the New Lenox Police Department has reopened its criminal investigation into Father McGrath. The longtime president of Providence Catholic High School, who abruptly retired last December, is suspected of being a child pornographer. Now, McGrath, 71, finds himself accused of committing sexual abuse against the former student.

Shortly before the press conference, the 22-page lawsuit was posted online by Krankvich's lawyers. "Plaintiff Robert Krankvich was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family and attended Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, Illinois," the lawsuit reads. "Plaintiff and his family came into contact with Fr. McGrath as an agent and representative of Defendants."

Anderson told Patch that Krankvich alleges that he was sexually abused in 1995 and 1996 while he was a student at Providence. At that time, McGrath was the high school principal at Providence.

The lawsuit states that Krankvich "developed great admiration, trust, reverence and respect for Defendants and their agents, including Fr. McGrath," adding, "Fr. McGrath took advantage of the admiration, trust, reverence and respect that Plaintiff had for him and the Roman Catholic Church and sexually abused Plaintiff on multiple occasions between approximately 1995 and 1996 when Plaintiff was approximately 13 to 15 years old."

Jeff Anderson & Associates also state in their lawsuit against the Order of the Augustinians that "incidents of sexual molestation in this complaint occurred on property owned by, operated by, or under the control of defendants."

Krankvich told reporters that he left Providence High School after his year of sexual abuse by the Providence priest. He said that Father McGrath ordered him at the time to stay silent and not to discuss their relationship with anybody. Since he was a kid and confused, he complied.

After finishing his schooling at another high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and was in the service for four years. He said that the sexual abuse by the Providence priest left him a confused and troubled young man. He began to struggle with alcohol and drugs, he told journalists gathered in Chicago on Thursday.

Attorney Anderson told reporters that he is excited to move forward with the civil lawsuit against the Augustinians because it will force Father McGrath to account for his misdeeds. "We'll take his deposition and we will videotape it and we'll make him do that under oath."

Based on the legal research of Anderson & Associates, they don't believe Father McGrath and the Augustinians will have any success in trying to get Krankvich's lawsuit thrown out of court on a legal technicality such as a statute of limitations claim. "This kid shouldn't have that issue here," Anderson said.

Anderson told reporters that both the Diocese of Joliet and the Chicago Archdiocese do not publicize the identities of any priests and brothers who are members of religious orders such as the Augustinians, Jesuits and the Carmelites who have faced allegations of sexual misconduct during their time in the clergy.

Anderson said it's clear the Augustinians have known for years that McGrath is a dangerous child molester but the order kept its mouth shut, therefore keeping parents and vulnerable students in the dark at St. Rita High School in Chicago, where McGrath previously served, and later at Providence Catholic where McGrath was principal and later president between 1985 and 2017.

Krankvich told reporters he chose to come forward with his allegations of sexual abuse against McGrath during the past few months after learning Providence forced their long-time president and principal to retire after he allegedly had child pornography on his cellular phone, according to a subsequent investigation done by the New Lenox Police Department.

That investigation did not lead to criminal charges. McGrath refused to cooperate with police and with the Providence administration, and the priest's lawyer later told detectives that McGrath's phone would never surface.

"He felt that he had to do something more," Anderson said of his client.

Krankvich told reporters that by openly coming forward and revealing his identity, he hopes and other Providence Catholic students who were abused by Father McGrath will now also feel empowered and not be afraid to speak out and share their story as well.

At the press conference, some journalists inquired if Krankvich has had any communication with New Lenox police detectives about his case. "He has cooperated with them," Anderson responded.

The lawyer said he believes that based on his client's information, that the Will County State's Attorney's Office should have sufficient evidence to charge McGrath's with criminal offenses.

Patch asked him to rank his client's credibility on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

Anderson responded without hesitation.

"Ten."

MORE: Police Chief Reacts To Press Conference

RECENT STORY: Fr. McGrath Allegedly Had Naked Boy Photos: Police

Main image via Facebook live feed of Thursday press conference involving Bob Krankvich, middle, via Jeff Anderson & Associates Law Firm