Former priest Fábio Amaro sentenced to 9.5 years for rape in Acre

The Court of Justice of Acre (TJ-AC) has overturned a previous acquittal and sentenced former priest Fábio Amaro to nine years and six months in prison for the rape of a teenager. The decision follows an appeal by the Public Ministry after an earlier ruling had cleared Amaro due to a lack of evidence.

The crimes took place between 2008 and 2009 in Rio Branco, during which time Amaro served as a parish priest. The victim was approximately 16 years old at the time of the incident. In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Amaro to pay R$ 10,000 in moral damages to the victim.

While a second accusation involving another young woman was part of the proceedings, that specific claim was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. Amaro remains free to appeal the decision. The Diocese of Rio Branco stated it is evaluating the outcome with its legal department.