Priest Pleads Guilty to Child Porn

A retired Roman Catholic priest in Great Falls has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography.

The Great Falls Tribune reports that 81-year-old Lothar Konrad Krauth changed his plea on Monday without an agreement with prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Krauth received and viewed thousands of images of child porn, including children as young as 2 or 3 years old. Krauth's attorney, Anthony Gallagher, says Krauth never intended to view images of toddlers.

He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five to 20 years in prison and may be fined up to $250,000 when he is sentenced July 18.

Krauth was born in Germany and became an American citizen in 1986. He was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes in Great Falls from 1989 to 2014.