Ex-L.A. priest sentenced for molestations

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A defrocked Los Angeles priest was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing two of an estimated 20 boys he allegedly molested.

The Los Angeles Times Tuesday called Michael Stephen Baker "one of the most prolific child molesters" in the L.A Archdiocese and a central figure in a court battle to prevent church records from being turned over to attorneys representing his alleged victims.

Baker had been charged with more than a dozen counts in 2002. However, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out those charges because the statute of limitations had expired and California overstepped its bounds by filing the charges anyway.

Baker, 59, was sentenced Monday under a plea agreement in state court.