A former Roman Catholic priest is in US federal custody in California, awaiting extradition to face sex abuse charges in his native Ireland.

Patrick Joseph McCabe turned himself in to authorities last month and is being held in Alameda County.

The 74-year-old faces 10 counts alleging that he sexually assaulted boys from 1973 to 1981.

Details of McCabe's case closely match those of an unidentified priest described in a 2009 report by Dublin High Court Justice Yvonne Murphy.

The report said that once abuse complaints surfaced in 1982, the Archdiocese of Dublin sent the priest to the United States.

It said the case "encapsulates everything that was wrong with the archdiocesan handling of child sexual abuse cases".

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