Florida priest accused of sexual abuse faces charges in Iowa: ‘He was supposed to be a man of God’

SARASOTA, Fla. - A Florida priest who has been charged with sexually abusing four former altar boys in Iowa in the 1980s is facing similar accusations by a student who used to attend a Port Charlotte Catholic School. 

Standing next to his Sarasota attorney, Damian Mallard, a man who called himself "John Doe" said he could no longer repress things that happened to him at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte.

"He said if I told, he would do to my sister what he did to me," said John Doe.

He and Mallard filed a civil lawsuit in 2020 against the school, The Diocese of Venice, a music teacher and Father Leo Riley.

"I buried these memories very deep, but I couldn’t keep them buried forever," he said.

In the lawsuit, John Doe said he was first sexually abused by a music teacher at the school in the early to mid 2000s. He said when he asked for help, Fr. Riley began years of physical and sexual abuse. 

"He was supposed to be a man of God. He was supposed to teach these kids the teaching of Jesus Christ. He was supposed to show them leadership, he was supposed to show them the way, and he did all of the opposite," said Mallard.

The civil lawsuit was brought to light two days after Fr. Riley was arrested for alleged sexual abuse committed in Dubuque, Iowa, against four former altar boys in the 1980s.

The Dubuque Police Department said they were 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 Dubuque in the 1980s.

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During the 1980s, Riley was the associate pastor of Resurrection Parish in Dubuque.

After a thorough investigation, the Dubuque Police Department filed criminal charges on Wednesday for five counts of second degree sexual abuse against Riley.

"If you were abused by this man, you are not alone. There is help for you," said John Doe.

Fr. Riley faced similar accusations in 2014. At the time, the Dubuque Diocese said they could not verify the claims.

Mallard said despite their civil lawsuit three years ago, Riley was not placed on leave until another complaint from Iowa surfaced last year.

"It completely broke him as a human being. He has been unable to hold employment. He sequesters himself most of the time doing gaming online to have something to do. He is applying for disability," said Mallard.

No formal charges have been filed in Florida. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said they opened an investigation in June 2023, which remains open.

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Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a 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."

A letter from Bishop Dewane regarding Father Leo Riley was shared with parishioners at all masses at San Antonio Parish over the weekend, and at all parishes where Father Riley had been previously assigned to in the Diocese of Venice.

Mallard and his client are calling for other potential victims to come forward.

"It is only through strength and coming forward that you can heal. Otherwise, you will always have to live with this for the rest of your life," he said.

If anyone has information pertaining to Riley, or is a victim of these types of crimes within Charlotte County, you're asked to contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at (941) 639-2101.

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