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In Sept. 2019, Robert Brennan, of Perryville, MD, was charged with four counts of making materially false statements stemming from an April 2019 interview with FBI agents, according to Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.
Brennan worked with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1993 to 2004 as a priest at Resurrection of Our Lord Church, authorities said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Brennan in Sept. 2013, alleging that he had sexually abused a minor, Sean McIlmail, during his time at the church, Williams said.
McIlmail died of a drug overdose a month later and the criminal charges against Brennan were dismissed, according to Williams.
Soon after, the McIlmail family filed a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Brennan. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount in May 2018, authorities said.
During the interview, Brennan claimed that he did not know McIlmail, his father, mother, or brother prior to the filing of the 2013 criminal case and civil lawsuit against him, according to federal authorities.
“Making false statements to the FBI is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our justice system, and we will hold offenders accountable no matter who they are,” Williams said.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Philadelphia Police Department.
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