Joseph J. Bender
2016 Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Grand Jury Report
Joseph J. Bender was included in a 2016 Altoona-Johnstown Grand Jury Report following an investigation that determined that hundreds of children were sexually abused over a period of at least 40 years by at least 50 priests or religious leaders in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The grand jury also concluded that Bishops Hogan and Adamec were at the forefront of the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Diocese. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office executed a search warrant uncovering materials and over 100,000 documents that included the Diocese’s secret archive, a portion of which the grand jury reviewed and used as part of its investigation.