‘I buried these memories very deep’: Florida priest accused of sex abuse, alleged victim comes forward
SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man who claims he was sexually abused by a Florida priest as a child spoke publicly for the first time in Sarasota on Friday.
Investigators said Father Leo Riley, 68, faces allegations of sex abuse. The alleged incidents occurred in Iowa and date back to the 1980s, before the church transferred him to Florida.
A 32-year-old man said he was sexually abused by Father Riley in the early to mid-2000s. Tragically, this is part of a larger issue within the Catholic Church, something we’ve seen before.
“As a child, I attended Saint Charles School in Port Charlotte, where Father Leo Riley repeatedly abused me for years,” said the man who does not want to be named.
“I never told anybody back then. He said that if I told anyone, he would do to my sister what he was doing to me,” he continued. “I buried these memories very deep, but I couldn’t keep them buried forever.”
All those memories came rushing back two days ago, when Riley was arrested at his Southwest Florida home. He’s been charged with five counts of capital sexual battery.
“When they started coming back and flashes and nightmares, I needed to do something about it,” the alleged victim said. “I’m standing here now on behalf of myself and anyone else that was a victim of Leo P. Riley.”
Investigators said Riley served as the Associate Pastor at the Resurrection Church in Dubuque four decades ago. In 2015, the first alleged victim in Iowa came forward. At that point, Riley had already been transferred, and was working at Saint Charles Borromeo Church in Port Charlotte, where he was for 13 years.
In May of 2023, the Dubuque Police Department said it was contacted by the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Office for the Protection of Children, a division of their Human Resources Department, regarding reports they had received of “cold cases” of sexual abuse that occurred in the city in the 1980s.
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Dubuque police said that first alleged victim as well as three other men in Iowa reported being sexually abused by Riley from 1984 to 1986 when they were in grade school and served as altar boys of Resurrection Parish.
Riley is currently assigned to San Antonio Catholic Church within the Diocese of Venice.
“The people with the power to do something about this higher up in the diocese or archdiocese or even above that need to make sure that there’s a no tolerance policy for this,” said Mallard Perez managing partner, Damian Mallard, .
In 2020, the attorney filed a lawsuit against Riley, St. Charles Borromeo, and the Diocese of Venice on behalf of his client.
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The Diocese sent 8 On Your Side this statement:
“Although Father Riley strenuously denied the allegation, maintaining his innocence, in accordance with the Diocese of Venice’s Policy for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, upon learning of the allegation Bishop Dewane immediately placed Father Riley on administrative leave, pending the investigation that was to be conducted by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. On May 17, 2023, Bishop Dewane also sent a letter to parishioners alerting them to the allegation.”
The statement also said: “The Diocese of Venice has just learned that Father Riley has now been arrested. We pray that the Lord of Truth and Light will guide us all in His ways moving forward. We pray, today and always, for the healing of all victims of abuse. May the light of truth and justice alleviate their pain and suffering, and may the Lord grant them healing, and peace. The Diocese of Venice provides a Victim Assistance Coordinator, who can be reached at 941-416-6114.”
But Mallard said parts of that statement were misleading.
“Why was Father Riley permitted to remain in his position with access to children for nearly three years after my client became the second person to allege sex abuse by him, filed a lawsuit and sworn to it under oath,” Mallard said.
Mallard said the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the matter.
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Sheriff Bill Prummell shared the following statement:
“If the accusations are true, then we have had a sexual predator living among us in Charlotte County that was trusted by far too many people simply because of his position. It is likely that there are more victims, and I encourage them to come forward so that we can make sure this type of heinous thing does not happen to anyone else here. It doesn’t matter when it happened, but what does matter is that the truth needs to be shared and justice needs to be served. We stand with you.”
“If you were abused by this man, you are not alone there is help available to you,” the alleged victim said.
If anyone has information about Riley or is a victim of these types of crimes within Charlotte County, contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at (941) 639-2101.
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