Father Ron Becker
Diocese of Buffalo
Ordained: 1973
Removed: 2002
Died: 2009
Assigned as follows:
- Incarnation (Ewing, NJ)
- Holy Angels (Hamilton, NJ)
- Precious Blood (Monmouth Beach, NJ)
- Diocesan Scouting Chaplain
- St. Francis (Trenton, NJ)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Ron Becker:
According to media reports, in 1989, Father Ron Becker was removed from parish work after a complaint was reported against him alleging inappropriate conduct with a minor. After an investigation, the authorities did not find that case “prosecutable.” Nonetheless, he was sent to a medical treatment facility. Upon his release, he was assigned to an administrative position, where he would have no access to children and could be closely supervised. The Diocese of Buffalo removed his faculties as a priest in 2002 after more credible allegations of child sexual abuse were reported. At the time of his removal, he worked at St. Francis Roman Catholic Church and in the diocese headquarters.
In March 2007, Father Ron Becker was arrested on charges of molesting his niece when she was between the ages of 3 and 7 years old at a home in Jamesburg, in the 1980s. In a recorded confession for police, he confessed that he began sexually abusing her when she was just an infant. In June 2007, he pleaded not guilty but died in January 2009 before he could face trial. In November 2009, the Diocese of Buffalo paid the woman $325,000 to settle her claim.
Father Becker was also accused of sexually abusing five altar boys “hundreds of times,” at the Incarnation Parish in Ewing during the 1970s. The alleged abuse lasted through 1984, and one boy claimed to have been molested “an estimated 150 times.” Father Becker told the children that it was God’s way of showing God’s love, and that it should be kept secret. One victim told a reporter, “What I went through destroyed my faith.”
According to media reports, In June 2011, the Diocese of Trenton paid the victims a total of $1 million to settle their claims. After observing how the Catholic Church handled the case during mediation, one of the five former altar boys, said, “I do not believe in the church anymore…I believe it’s a business. And I saw that during mediation.”
In November 2018, Father Becker’s name was included in the Diocese of Buffalo’s updated list of priests with substantiated claims of sexual abuse of a minor. The original list was published in March 2018 and includes deceased priests only if they have more than one allegation. It noted he had been a seminarian from Trenton. In February 2019, his name was included on the diocese of Trenton’s list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse.
In April 2020, Father Becker was one of 23 priests removed off of its payroll through an agreement it reached with survivors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo and throughout New York. The Diocese of Buffalo filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Buffalo may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Buffalo if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.