A former Catholic priest, 74-year-old Francis “Frank” Trauger, has been charged with sexually assaulting two altar boys during his tenure at St. Michael the Archangel Church. Trauger, who now resides in Brooklyn, New York, was arraigned in Bucks County Tuesday morning on counts of corruption of minors and indecent assault.

Trauger is not a new name in the Roman Catholic Church abuse scandal. As far back as 2005, there were almost 10 pages dedicated to allegations against him in a report produced by then Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham for a grand jury proceeding. In our immediate area, allegations involved Saint Titus Parish in Norristown and Saint Matthew Parish in Conshohocken. He served at Saint Matthew Parish from June 1985 and to September 1988. He was not prosecuted in 2005 due to the statute of limitations.

Trauger was released on unsecured bail set at $250,000.

The assaults he is now charged with occurred in the mid-1990s and early 2000s when the victims were approximately 12 years old.

Mugshot Photo: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office