RAPID CITY, S.D. – A former Roman Catholic priest who served in Rapid City, South Dakota, has been sentenced to six years in prison for sexually abusing a child.
Thirty-eight-year-old John Praveen pleaded guilty in February to sexually touching a 13-year-old girl over her clothes last year.
The Rapid City Journal reports Judge Steven Mandel handed down the sentence Friday after prosecutors asked for the maximum of one year in prison. Mandel said that was "not adequate" for Praveen's crime.
Praveen will be eligible for parole in three years, after which the parole board could ask the federal government to deport him to India. Praveen had joined the Rapid City Diocese for a 10-year assignment in December 2017.
Praveen apologized and told the court he wishes he could take back what he did.
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
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