Former Archbishop Ryan president pleads guilty to forgery and theft

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By Shannon McDonald

Rev. Charles Newman, former president of Archbishop Ryan High School, faces up to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing money from the school to pay off a former student he is accused of sexually molesting.

Newman, 58, pled guilty to stealing $900,00 from the school and his Franciscan Friars order during his presidency from July 2002 to Nov. 20, 2003, when he was terminated. He accused of giving $54,000 to former student Arthur Baselice III, though he will not face charges for sexual molestation, as the statute of limitations has expired.

Baselice’s father said his son, who graduated from Ryan in 1996, was sexually molested by Newman, and that Newman also exposed him to addictive and illegal drugs during his junior and senior years at the school. Arthur Baselice III died Nov. 30, 2006 of a drug overdose at the age of 28.

Newman’s sentencing is scheduled for May 8.