For years, Father Daniel McCormack preyed on boys and young men. As the pastor of St. Agatha's Parish in Chicago, his roles as a spiritual leader, teacher, and head of a youth basketball program allowed him unsupervised access to minors, which led to multiple instances of sexual assaults. He pled guilty to five counts of sexual abuse in 2007.
The Chicago Archdiocese has paid over $20 million in damages to settle suits over McCormack's crimes and their decision not to remove him once allegations about his conduct were revealed, which allowed him to continue to sexually abuse children. On March 24, 2025, the Archdiocese filed a lawsuit alleging that at least 30 of the claims were fraudulent.
Abusing the System
Before Daniel McCormack became Father Dan, he was a student in the Archdiocese of Chicago's seminary system. While training to become a priest, allegations of his sexual misconduct were reported to seminary officials. These went unaddressed, and McCormack was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1994.
For the next few years, he bounced around to different positions before landing at Holy Family Parish in 1998. The following year, an allegation was made that he engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a minor. McCormack was promoted and, in 2020, made pastor of St. Agatha's Parish. In addition to his leadership role, he was also a teacher and coached the boys' basketball team.
Reports of inappropriate contract and sexual abuse with minors occurred over the ensuing five years, culminating with an arrest in 2005. An Archdiocese Professional Review Board recommended his removal, but the Archdiocese chose to leave McCormack in his position.
After being arrested again for allegations of sexual abuse in 2006, McCormack was removed as pastor. He pled guilty to sexually abusing five minor boys in 2007. Sentenced to five years in prison, he served two before moving to a state-run mental health facility.
In 2021, he was released after a judge overturned an order to keep him in a facility, stating prosecutors didn't prove that he was still a threat. Registered as a sex offender, McCormick lives in Chicago.
For their role in enabling McCormick's continuing abuse of minor boys, the Archdiocese has paid damages to dozens of injured parties. Claiming that it's the victim of an organized conspiracy, the Archdiocese filed a lawsuit against 30 defendants it accuses of lying to defraud.
How Many Licks Does It Take To Get to the Center of a Settlement?
In the lawsuit, the Archdiocese points to recorded phone calls made by a prison inmate. The inmate, a successful claimant, describes making a claim against McCormack and the Archdiocese as a "lick", slang for a scam. Advising the other person on the phone that it's "easy money," he allegedly states that he "didn’t go there … I wasn’t even in a program, and, you feel me, I got a lick on ’em."
The Archdiocese claims the defendants are part of a criminal gang working in a coordinated effort to illegally claim damages for McCormack's abuses. They've had success against alleged "licks" before, with the Circuit Court of Cook County ruling that two cases were fraudulent and other cases abandoned by the claimants.
Seeking injunctive relief and damages from what they classify as a "wide-ranging racketeering scheme," the Archdiocese argues that stopping fraudulent claims puts them in a better position to properly compensate and help the actual victims. The civil suit does not yet have a court date.
Related Resources
- Civil Cases - The Basics (FindLaw's Litigation and Appeals)
- Civil Sexual Assault Settlements (FindLaw's Torts and Personal Injury Laws)
- Everything You Need To Know About Fraud Crimes and Fraud Law (FindLaw's Criminal Charges)
