DUBUQUE (IA)
WFLA [Tampa FL]
May 14, 2024
By Kevin Accettulla
A priest who was arrested in Florida last month after he was accused of sexually abusing boys appeared in an Iowa court on Monday.
Father Leo Riley‘s arrest in Florida is tied to alleged abuse in Iowa in the 1980s. He’s charged with five counts of sexual abuse.
Riley appeared in court in Dubuque, Iowa, and was given a $500,000 bond, according to NBC affiliate KWWL. Riley’s attorney, Guy Cook, said that bond amount is too high, and planned to challenge it.
“Father Leo Riley is, to those people who know him well, a person of upstanding moral character, an honest man, and a person who would not commit these kinds of acts,” Cook said.
If Riley posts bond, he would remain in Department of Corrections custody and would have to stay at a halfway house, according to KWWL.
Riley served in the Diocese of Venice and was recently assigned to a parish in Port Charlotte.
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.
Riley has also been accused of abuse during his time in Port Charlotte. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the allegations.
KWWL reported that Riley’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 22.