Bernie Ward

Last updated
Bernie Ward
Born
Bernard Vincent Ward

(1951-04-05) April 5, 1951 (age 73)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Years active1985-2007
Career
Style Talk show
CountryUnited States

Bernard Vincent Ward (born April 5, 1951) is an American former radio personality whose career ran from 1985 to 2007. Formerly a radio talk show host with KGO 810 AM in San Francisco, California, [1] Ward, once billed by KGO as "The Lion of the Left" and "unabashedly liberal," [2] was the host of the daily news talk program, The Bernie Ward Show, and the three-hour program, GodTalk, on Sunday mornings. [3]

Contents

In December 2007, Ward was dismissed from KGO following his federal grand jury child pornography indictment. [4] [5] Subsequently, in a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, Ward admitted to a single felony charge of online distribution of child pornography and signed an admission of distributing between 15 and 150 images via email. [6] He consequently served a six-year prison sentence, and was released in 2014.

Biography

Bernie Ward was born in San Francisco, California, [4] where he attended Holy Name Grammar School, St. Ignatius High School, and the University of San Francisco. He then studied for three years at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, obtaining a Theology degree in 1977. [4] He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood the same year, [3] [7] but left the priesthood after two years.

Ward later taught theology at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California and its sister school, Ursuline High School. At Ursuline in 1978, allegations of Ward's sexual misconduct first began to surface. [8] Ward also taught at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California. [4] In 1981, he relocated to Washington, D.C. where he taught marriage and sex education at the Georgetown Preparatory School, a private Jesuit Roman Catholic high school, [9] while his wife attended medical school. Ward later worked for then-Representative Barbara Boxer from 1982 to 1985.

Radio talk show host

Ward's employment at KGO (AM) began in 1985 where he served as a fill-in talk show host, a general-assignment reporter, and later as a political talk show host starting in 1992. [4] As a reporter, where Jerry Jay Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle noted on October 25, 1995, that it had become a ritual for the mayor at that time, Art Agnos, to denounce him for lies at the beginning of every news conference. Ward also went on to host "God Talk," a show on religion and related topics. [3] [7]

Briefly in 1996, Ward's talk show was nationally syndicated until his ratings declined. [10] His show's ratings began to improve in 1997 in Ward's core demographic group (women ages 25 to 54) as a result of his more lenient views on topics such as child-rearing and ethics. On October 5, 1997, a rumor that KGO was discontinuing Ward's contract effective at the end of the month was published by the San Francisco Chronicle. [11] In protest, supporters of his show flooded the KGO studios with canned food donations, continuing a seven-year Thanksgiving fundraising drive started by Ward that had netted more than $1 million in donations shared by the St. Anthony Foundation and two other area charities. [10] The protest culminated in a noontime rally staged in front of the KGO studios. [12] KGO management reversed their decision and renewed Ward's contract. [13]

On December 31, 2007, Ward was fired from KGO because of his indictment on child pornography charges. [3]

Child pornography conviction

On September 20, 2007, [14] Ward was indicted by a grand jury on two federal counts of Attempting to Distribute and one count of Receiving child pornography via the Internet from December 2004 to January 2005. [14] The police investigation of Ward originated with a complaint from a Stanislaus County woman who was posing online as a dominatrix under the screenname "Sexfairy2005" and who had engaged in online chats with Ward. [15] [16] According to the police report, Ward sent pornographic images of children to the chat partner, which caused her to contact police. The police began collecting evidence with her help and continued chat sessions with Ward. In the chat logs, Ward also described sexual activity with his own children. [17] [18] Ward and his children both later told investigators that none of the activities described in the chats ever actually occurred, Ward contending it was just sexual fantasy talk.

In a statement, Ward's attorney did not dispute engaging in the chats or transmitting the photos, but instead claimed Ward was role-playing with the dominatrix in part for research on a book about hypocrisy in America. [3] [4] [16] Federal investigators could find no evidence that Ward was working on such a book. Ward's attorney claimed that federal authorities found no illegal images on his computer, which they seized in early 2005. [4] [19] However, after police obtained a search warrant for Ward's online account, they found about 100 images of child pornography in his AOL email account on AOL's servers which had been opened and forwarded, with sexual activity involving children.

On May 8, 2008, Ward announced an agreement to plead guilty to one count of Distribution of Child Pornography in exchange for the dropping of two additional counts of Possession and Distribution. In his plea agreement, Ward admits that he transmitted child pornography "between 15 and 150 times." Under federal statute, Ward could have been sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison. [20] [21] The Department of Justice requested he be sentenced to nine years in prison. [22]

On August 28, 2008, Judge Vaughn Walker sentenced Ward to seven years and three months in federal prison. Judge Walker agreed to Ward's request that he be allowed to serve his time in the Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc, to which the U.S. Attorney raised no objection. Judge Walker commented that Ward's alleged sexual misconduct while serving as a priest may go to character, but that the events happened too long ago to be relevant to his sentencing decision. He also said that he was not convinced sending Ward to prison is the best way to deal with an individual with such problems and that "very little good has come out of all this." Ward told Judge Walker that he took full responsibility for his actions and said, "I regret my actions, the harm they caused my family, my friends, and this community."

With good behavior, Ward's sentence of 87 months was reduced by 15 percent, making him eligible for Supervised Release on December 19, 2014; there is no parole in the Federal system. On release from prison California's Megan's Law designated Ward a registered sex offender. For the remainder of his life Ward must in-person notify and register with local law enforcement about his residing or staying in its jurisdiction and locale. [23] [24]

Ward served his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc, a low-security federal prison in California. [25] He was released on December 19, 2014. [26]

Personal beliefs

Religion

On March 16, 1996, Ward discussed the confrontational tactics of the group ACT UP at a mosque, describing the group as a "collection of non-partisan individuals committed to direct action to end AIDS." [27] He stated that "homosexuals had a good cause to make (against the Catholic Church)," and claimed that the church encouraged homophobia and homophobic actions. The church denied this, stating that they did not encourage homophobia or resistance against homosexuals, but merely taught that homosexual sex, because it is outside a marriage between a man and a woman, was immoral.

On December 9, 1996, Ward stated that Christianity was "morally superior" to Judaism because it was based on unconditional forgiveness. He offered apologies on his radio show on December 17 and again on the following day, the first being dismissed by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the second being accepted. Ward insisted that he did not have a problem with any individual religion, only with fundamentalists. [28] He later compared fundamentalist Orthodox Judaism with Nazism on September 12, 2001, but offered an apology the following day. [28]

Iraq war

On September 30, 2002, Ward appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and discussed possible military action against Iraq. He commented about Saddam Hussein: "Hussein has not shown any threat to anyone" and that the "Kurds were prospering very well in the north even as al-Qaeda has used some of their connections with the Kurds." [29]

Causes

He led a pledge drive for Thanksgiving Charities every year, which supported four charities in the San Francisco Bay Area: [7] Sacred Heart Community Services in San Jose, St. Anthony's Foundation in San Francisco, St. Vincent De Paul dining room in Oakland, and Fresh Start in Walnut Creek. The charity drive began in the late 1980s and raised over $4 million in the following decades. Ward was also a participant in the KGO leukemia cure-a-thon, which has raised over $13 million for research into leukemia and lymphoma causes.

Recognition

Ward received the Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Journalism for his investigative journalism in a 10-part series, Heaven Help Us, which explored allegations of financial and sexual misconduct of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. [7] He has also won numerous national awards, such as an Associated Press award for coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. [4]

Related Research Articles

Raphael Vincent "Ray" Taliaferro was an American radio host and liberal political commentator. He joined KGO News Talk AM 810 in 1977. In 1986, his talk show moved to the 1 to 5 a.m. early-morning time slot and continued until December 2, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Fogle</span> American former spokesman, sex offender (born 1977)

Jared Scott Fogle is an American former spokesman for Subway restaurants. Fogle appeared in Subway's advertising campaigns from 2000 to 2015 until an FBI investigation led to him being convicted of child sex tourism and possessing child pornography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Zicari</span> American pornographer

Robert D. Zicari, also known as Rob Black, is an American pornographer, entrepreneur, podcaster and professional wrestling promoter. Together with his then-wife Janet "Lizzy Borden" Romano, he owned the porn company Extreme Associates. Zicari was prosecuted for distribution of obscenity by the United States Department of Justice in 2004. The case was dismissed but was reinstated upon appeal in 2005. Zicari entered into a plea agreement with the government in 2009, ending the case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGO (AM)</span> Clear-channel sports betting radio station in San Francisco

KGO is a commercial AM radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, and owned by Cumulus Media. Due to its extensive groundwave signal and the effects of the surrounding terrain, its coverage is greater than any Bay Area FM station, and it registers with Arbitron as a station listened to in surrounding metropolitan regions. Cumulus's local offices are based on Battery Street in the SoMa portion of San Francisco's Financial District.

Charles Karel Bouley, known on-the-air as Karel, is an American talk radio host, singer, TV personality, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Wattenburg</span>

Willard Harvey Wattenburg was an American inventor, engineer, author, and talk radio show host from California. Advertisements for his show often referred to him as "The Smartest Man in the World."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Complex, Butner</span> Federal prison in Butner, North Carolina, US

The Federal Correctional Complex, Butner is a United States federal prison complex for men near Butner, North Carolina. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCC Butner is about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Raleigh, the state capital. It includes the Bureau's largest medical complex, which operates a drug treatment program and specializes in oncology and behavioral science. Among its inmates was Bernie Madoff, who was convicted for perpetrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history. He died at the prison in April 2021.

Child erotica is non-pornographic material relating to children that is used by any individuals for sexual purposes. It is a broader term than child pornography, incorporating material that may cause sexual arousal such as nonsexual images, books or magazines on children or pedophilia, toys, diaries, or clothes. Law enforcement investigators have found that child erotica is often collected by pedophiles and child sexual abuse offenders. It may be collected as a form of compulsive behavior and as a substitute for illegal underage pornography and is often a form of evidence for criminal behavior.

John Francis Rothmann is an American former talk radio host on KGO in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Schillaci</span> American child sex offender and former fugitive

Jon Savarino Schillaci is an American rapist and former fugitive who was added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on September 7, 2007. Schillaci is the 488th fugitive to be placed on the list. He was captured on June 5, 2008, in San José de Gracia, Michoacán, Mexico after almost nine years on the run. On December 22, 2009, Schillaci was sentenced to 20 to 50 years in prison. He is incarcerated in Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility and will be eligible for parole in December 2039.

Robert Charles Gamere is an American former sportscaster. He primarily worked in the Boston area and hosted a local candlepin bowling show during the 1970s named Candlepins for Cash.

The Barry Bonds perjury case was a case of alleged perjury regarding use of anabolic steroids by former San Francisco Giants outfielder and all-time Major League Baseball (MLB) career home run leader, Barry Bonds, and the related investigations surrounding these accusations. On April 13, 2011, Bonds was convicted of one felony count of obstruction of justice for giving an incomplete answer to a question in grand jury testimony. A mistrial was declared on the remaining three counts of perjury, and those charges were dropped. The obstruction of justice conviction was upheld by an appellate panel in 2013, but a larger panel of the appellate court exonerated him in 2015 by a 10-1 vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow</span> Chinese-American criminal

Raymond Kwok-Cheung Chow, nicknamed "Shrimp Boy", is a Hong Kong-born felon with ties to a San Francisco Chinatown street gang and an organized crime syndicate, including the American branch of the Hong Kong-based triad Wo Hop To and the Hop Sing Boys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc</span> Prison in Lompoc, California, United States

The Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Lompoc, California. It is part of the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Hardcore</span> American pornographic actor (1956–2023)

Paul F. Little was an American pornographic actor, producer, and director better known by his stage name Max Hardcore. He rose to prominence in 1992 with the film series The Anal Adventures of Max Hardcore, which in 1994 was awarded the X-Rated Critics Organization's award for Best Amateur or Pro-Am series. Former AVN writer, Gerrie Lim, has classified Hardcore's works as gonzo pornography and "testing the limits of acceptability". He was a member of the X-Rated Critics Organization's Hall of Fame. He spent two and a half years in prison (2009–2011), convicted in a trial for obscenity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Fogel</span> American judge

Jeremy Don Fogel is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Fogel was appointed by President Bill Clinton. He was a judge for the municipal court and superior court of Santa Clara County, California from 1981 to 1998. He served as Director of the Federal Judicial Center from 2011 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Burns</span> American talk radio host (1940–2013)

Gene Burns was an American talk radio host. He hosted Dining Around with Gene Burns, a food wine and travel program, which aired Saturdays on NewsTalk 810 AM in San Francisco. He also hosted The Gene Burns Program, a political and social commentary show, that aired on NewsTalk 810.

Operation Delego was a major international child pornography investigation, launched in 2009, which dismantled an international pedophile ring that operated an invitation-only Internet site named Dreamboard which featured incentives for images of the violent sexual abuse of young children under twelve, including infants. Only 72 charges were filed against the approximately 600 members of Dreamboard due to the extensive encryption involved. Members were required to upload new material at least every 50 days to maintain their access and remain in good standing.

Lisa A. Biron is a disbarred attorney from Manchester, New Hampshire, and a convicted child molester and child pornographer. In November 2012, she was indicted on federal charges related to the sexual exploitation of her 14-year-old daughter, including taking her to Canada to have sex with a man there. She was convicted on all charges in a January 2013 trial, and was sentenced that May to 40 years in prison.

Austin Henry Jones is an American convicted sex offender and former musician, who was active as a YouTuber from 2007 to 2017, prior to his conviction for receipt of child pornography in 2019.

References

  1. ↑ Egelko, Bob (2008-08-22). "9 years urged for radio host in porn case". The San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  2. ↑ Michels, Scott (11 December 2007). "Talk Radio Host Indicted on Child Porn Charges". ABC News .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Doyle, Jim (January 23, 2008). "Ward's fans want him back on the air". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Derbeken, Jaxon; Elizabeth Fernandez (7 December 2007). "Talk show host Ward charged with Internet kiddie porn". San Francisco Chronicle.
  5. ↑ Doyle, Jim (2008-01-23). "Bernie Ward fired from KGO radio". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ↑ "Bernie Ward Offers Guilty Plea In Child Porn Case". CBS5 Local News. KPIX TV. 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2008-08-23.[ dead link ]
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Bernie Ward". KGO (AM). Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  8. ↑ "Sexual complaints against Bernie Ward date back to priesthood | abc7news.com". Archived from the original on 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  9. ↑ Matier, Phil; Ross, Andy (September 26, 2018). "Former KGO host and child porn convict Bernie Ward recalls Kavanaugh school". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  10. 1 2 Salter, Stephanie (26 October 1997). "The canning of Bernie Ward (a radio drama)". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ↑ Morse, Rob (5 October 1997). "When in doubt, punt a pundit". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  12. ↑ Carroll, Jerry (30 October 1997). "LIVELY ARTS -- Long Lunch, Long Night". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. ↑ Carroll, Jerry (4 November 1997). "LIVELY ARTS -- Graceful Play by Miller". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2007-12-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ Dan Noyes (2008-05-15). ""Sexfairy" reveals herself, speaks to I-Team". ABC7 News. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  16. 1 2 Lee, Henry (15 February 2008). "Police report says Bernie Ward sent child-porn pictures to dominatrix". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  17. ↑ Ward chat logs
  18. ↑ " "Inside Bernie Ward's online chats". abclocal.go.com. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  19. ↑ " "Trial Set For Radio Host Bernie Ward On Child Porn Charges". NBC11.com. 24 January 2008.
  20. ↑ Egelko, Bob (2008-05-08). "Ex-talk show host Bernie Ward admits to distributing child pornography". The San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  21. ↑ "Bernie Ward to Plead Guilty". kgoam810.com. 5 May 2008.
  22. ↑ "Sentencing Memorandum of the United States" (PDF). Department of Justice, Criminal Division. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  23. ↑ Egelko, Bob (2008-08-28). "Bernie Ward sentenced to seven-plus years for child-porn conviction". SFGate. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  24. ↑ Moss, Alex (2008-08-29). "Ex-Radio Host Bernie Ward gets 7 Years for Child Porn". Sentry Parental Controls. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  25. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator". US Bureau of Prisons. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  26. ↑ "Inmate Locator".
  27. ↑ Goldsmith, Aleza (May 1996). "Bernie Ward show defames Catholicism". Catalyst. Archived from the original on 2006-02-06.
  28. 1 2 Goldsmith, Aleza (21 September 2001). "KGO Radio's Bernie Ward apologizes to Jews". Jewish News Weekly.
  29. ↑ "Radio Talk Show Hosts Debate Iraq". CNN. 30 September 2002.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.