Priest Convicted of Sex Abuse Dies in Woodbridge Prison

Woodbridge, NJ - The priest was in a Woodbridge prison, serving out his 33-year sentence for molesting a 6-year-old altar boy, when he died Monday.

Pastor John Banko, 69, was found dead of natural causes Monday morning at the state Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, just off Rt. 9 in Avenel. He was pronounced dead at 9:28 a.m. Monday, Department of Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman told Patch.

The treatment center is located next to the East Jersey maximum-security State Prison (Rahway State Prison). No foul play is suspected in his death. He was admitted to the prison in 2003, and scheduled to be released by January, 31, 2017, according to Department of Corrections records.

Priest gave boys alcohol, bathed nude with them in hot tubs, victims say

For years, Banko was the pastor at St. Edward the Confessor in Milford, New Jersey, an idyllic town on the banks of the Delaware River in Hudson County. Known to parishioners there as “Father Jack,” four men came forward and said that Banko either sexually abused them or made sexual advances towards them, reports MyCentralJersey.com.

One of the men said the sexual abuse started when he was 6 years old, and serving as an altar boy at the church.

Aother man, who is now 39 and lives in Baltimore, said Bank molested him repeatedly for a 10-year period, starting in 1972. Two other men said Banko took them to upscale restaurants, offered them alcohol and asked the boys to bathe nude with him in a hot tub after they all played racquetball together at a local health club, reports MyCentralJersey.com.

Banko was convicted of three counts of sexual assault, as well as other charges of endangering the welfare of a child. Throughout his trial, he maintained his innocence and represented himself. Read the full story here.

Photo: John Banko/NJ Dept. of Corrections