James Talbot

James Talbot (1937/1938 – February 28, 2025) SJ was an American Jesuit priest, teacher, and coach who was convicted of raping multiple students over a period of several decades. His crimes are one of several that are collectively known as the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal, and part of the larger Catholic Church sex abuse cases in the United States.

Abuse In the 1970s, while serving as a hockey, soccer, and wrestling coach as well as a history teacher at Boston College High School (BC High), Talbot was accused of rape and other charges of sexual misconduct. In response, the Jesuits chose to move him to another high school, Cheverus High School, in Portland, Maine. Talbot transferred from BCHS to Cheverus in 1980, where he remained until 1998, again in the role of history teacher and soccer coach in an all-male school. In 1998 a student brought information to the bishop that her brother had been molested by Talbot, who by that time was molesting yet another student.

Legal cases and prison In 2005, at the age of 67, he was convicted of several counts of abuse during his tenure at Boston College High School, and served six years in prison for the crimes. In a civil suit, 13 victims who sued the Society of Jesus and the high school received a $5.2 million settlement. At the time of his release, proceedings to laicize Talbot were still incomplete. Talbot was released from prison for the BCHS charges in 2011, only to be charged for crimes committed at Cheverus. He was removed from the clerical state in 2013. In 2017, Talbot was extradited to Maine, He immediately began serving his 2018 sentence following his guilty plea.