Why alleged victims of Florida priest may never see justice
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A criminal complaint provided disturbing new information about a priest accused of sexually abusing multiple children.
Father Leo Riley served in the Diocese of Venice and was recently assigned to a parish in Port Charlotte. Authorities said his arrest stems from his time in Iowa in the 1980s.
A newly released criminal complaint details the alleged abuse, and also reveals why some of Riley’s alleged victims, who served as altar boys at the church, may never see justice.
The explicit details are disturbing. The complaint outlines when and where at least four underage altar boys were molested, sexually assaulted, and abused at Riley’s hands.
According to the complaint, a parent reported the alleged abuse to the principal and “a couple weeks later, Riley was transferred to another parish.”
Riley was ordained a priest in 1982. He was assigned to 17 different parishes within the Archdiocese of Dubuque until 2002.
At that point, he requested a transfer to Florida and began serving as a priest with the Diocese of Venice.
“In May 2023, our criminal investigations division started looking into an allegations of sexual abuse committed by Father Leo Riley,” said Lt. Luke Bock of the Dubuque Police Department.
The report details how the alleged victims, then altar boys in Iowa, were forced to drink wine and endure sexual assaults, sometimes forced to assault one another. While multiple victims came forward in Iowa, all with similar claims of abuse, many of their cases could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had run out.
Last month, Riley was arrested at his Port Charlotte home for capital sexual battery. Riley had been serving as a priest in Venice and Port Charlotte up until his arrest.
A man, who wanted to publicly share his story but not his name, said he was a victim, and the alleged abuse happened after Riley transferred to Florida.
“As a child, I attended Saint Charles School in Port Charlotte, where Father Leo Riley repeatedly abused me for years,” he said. “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. I buried these memories very deep, but I couldn’t keep them buried forever.”
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating that allegation.
Court records reveal Riley has denied any and all inappropriate contact with any of the altar boys. He also claimed these allegations are most likely a cash grab, hoping to get money from the church.
Following Riley’s arrest, Bishop Frank Dewane shared a letter with parishioners where Riley had previously been assigned. He said there is a pending civil lawsuit from 2020 against Father Riley and the Diocese of Venice. The Bishop said the factual allegations therein were inaccurate and contradictory, when it was received. The Bishop also said they are committed to doing everything they can to protect children and vulnerable adults.
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