As of early 2023, around 60 priests and other clergy members in Rhode Island have been credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct. All the accused clergy members served in the Diocese of Providence, which covers all five counties in Rhode Island.
The clergy members accused of abuse served at churches in almost every Rhode Island city and town, underscoring the widespread nature of abuse in the Catholic Church.
The current list of accused clergy members includes allegations dating back to the 1950s. In some cases, church leaders knew about abuse allegations but chose to ignore them.
In 2019, the Diocese of Providence released a long-awaited list of priests and other clergymen credibly accused of abuse. The initial list included 50 credibly accused clergy members. As of early 2023, that number has grown to 60.
In 2019, Rhode Island lawmakers passed a bill extending the legal deadlines for survivors of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers and those who enabled the abuse.
The law extended the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit for childhood sexual abuse from 7 years to 35 years after the victim’s 18th birthday.
This substantial extension gives victims an additional 28 years to pursue a claim. It also allows victims to sue within seven years of when they recall for the first time that they were abused.
The new statute of limitations not only applies to the perpetrators of the abuse, but also to the institutions that looked the other way or negligently supervised employees who abused children.
If you suffered priest abuse in Rhode Island, you may be able to file a claim against the person who abused you or the institution that enabled the abuse. Call our Rhode Island clergy abuse lawyers at 1-800-748-7115 to learn more.
What Is a Statute of Limitations?
A statute of limitations (SOL) is a legal deadline. It establishes a time limit for how long a person/party can file a lawsuit after the date of an alleged offense.
Statutes of limitations vary based on several factors, including the crime, the jurisdiction, and whether it is a criminal charge or a civil claim.
How Annie’s Law Benefits Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
In 2019, Rhode Island lawmakers passed a new law granting additional rights for victims of child sexual abuse. Commonly known as “Annie’s Law,” the new legislation gives victims 35 years beyond their 18th birthday to bring a lawsuit against a perpetrator(s).
This means victims of childhood sexual abuse in Rhode Island now have until age 53 to file a claim against their abuser or individuals who enabled the abuse.
But Annie’s Law is also retroactive. Victims who were unable to file a claim before Annie’s Law was passed because of passed legal deadlines can now file a claim, as long as they are age 53 or younger.
It can take years or even decades for victims to come to terms with the abuse they suffered or even realize it occurred. It’s not uncommon for the mind to suppress memories of trauma. As a result, many victims of childhood sexual assault don’t remember their abuse or aren’t able to process what happened to them for many years or even decades.
This is why extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors is so important. Since Annie’s Law was passed, survivors who experienced clergy abuse in Rhode Island have gained a renewed chance at legal justice.
Civil and Criminal Statutes for Childhood Sexual
Abuse Survivors in Rhode Island
Civil Statutes
In Rhode Island, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have until age 53 to file a civil claim against an abuser or institution that hid the abuse.
The statute is retroactive in abuse cases against specific perpetrators, including priests or other clergy members, teachers, youth leaders, and other abusers. This means that regardless of past legal deadlines, as of 2019, any survivor under the age of 53 can file a civil claim against their abuser in Rhode Island.
Additionally, a 7-year discovery rule allows survivors of any age to file a claim within 7 years after discovering injuries related to the abuse. The discovery rule applies not only to claims against individual perpetrators, but also institutions and government entities that enabled the abuse.
Survivors aged 53 and older cannot bring a lawsuit against an alleged abuser.
Criminal Statutes
Rhode Island has no statute of limitations for rape, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree child molestation sexual assault, second-degree child molestation sexual assault, and bigamy.
A person of any age can file a lawsuit against a perpetrator, regardless of when the abuse occurred.
For all other sexual felonies and misdemeanors, there is a 3-year statute of limitations from the time of the alleged abuse.
Clergy Abuse Settlements in Rhode Island
In 2002, the Providence diocese reached a $14 million settlement with 37 people who sued over clergy sexual abuse. Survivors in that claim brought abuse allegations against 10 priests and one nun. The legal battle leading to the 2002 settlement lasted 10 years.
In 2008, the Diocese of Providence settled four lawsuits totaling $1.3 million. Several of the plaintiffs in these settlements were part of the 2002 lawsuit. However, they chose not to accept the 2002 settlement and filed a second lawsuit against the diocese.
By 2019, the diocese said it had paid more than $21 million in total to settle abuse claims with survivors. That number may be even higher today.
List of Accused Clergy Members in Rhode Island
Many of the priests on the current list are deceased. Most others have been removed from the ministry. The timeline of this list spans decades.
As you go through this list, keep in mind that these individuals are innocent until proven guilty in court and, typically, settlement agreements do not include an admission of guilt.
Many settlements are paid by an independent compensation program to protect the reputation of the church officials involved.
Even if you don’t see the name of a clergy member on this list of priests accused of abuse in Rhode Island, it does not mean there have been no accusations made against them. Nor does it mean you don’t have a claim.
Our attorneys can help you determine whether you may have a claim, even if you don’t see your abuser’s name below. Call us for a free, confidential consultation at 1-800-748-7115.
Fr. Joseph A. Abruzzese
Ordained: 1990
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Pled no contest in 1994 to second-degree sexual assault for grabbing and fondling a 16-year- old boy in a local park. Sentenced to 5 years’ probation and counseling. Added to the diocese’s list in July 2019 (name misspelled Abbruzzese).
Fr. John C. Allard
Ordained: 1975
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 04/27/2018
Accused of sexually assaulting a minor boy in 1981 while assigned to Immaculate Conception in Cranston. Later removed from position. Per the diocese, Allard admitted the abuse and expressed profound remorse. No criminal charges due to statute of limitations. Added to diocese’s list in July 2019.
Fr. Daniel M. Azzarone, Jr.
Ordained: 1978
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Complaints received as early as 1985, 1992, and 1998-1999. Accused of abusing several boys/youths. Sentenced to 3 years in prison and 7 years’ probation. Part of $1.326 million settlement by Providence diocese in August 2008. Laicized 2009. Added to diocese’s list in July 2019.
Fr. Roger E. Belhumeur
Ordained: 1961
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 09/28/2010
Named publicly as accused by the diocese in July 2019. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. Ronald E. Brassard
Ordained: 1974
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in a 1995 lawsuit of abusing a boy in the 1970s. Brassard was investigated but continued as pastor of Immaculate Conception in Cranston, RI and was appointed pastor of St. Mark’s in Jamestown in 2015.
Fr. Dennis Brodeur
Ordained: 1977
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 01/01/2004
Named publicly as accused on diocese’s list in July 2019. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. James D. Campbell
Order: MSC
Ordained: 1972
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI/
Died: 2007
Accused in 2002 of abusing a boy in Worcester, MA. Convicted in 2004 of abuse of two teens, one a girl. Sentenced in January 2005 to 90 days in house of correction and 10 years’ probation. Laicization announced in March 2005. On Diocese of Rockford’s November 2018 list. On Providence diocese’s July 2019 list. Also included on the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart USA list of credibly accused.
Fr. Robert A. Carpentier
Ordained: 1967
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 2012
Accused in a 1992 civil suit of abusing a boy from 1973-1974. Claims against Carpentier were settled in September 2002 as part of a $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims of priest abuse in the Providence diocese.
Fr. Paul Charland
Ordained: 1945
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its July 2019 list. Removed from ministry in August 2011.
Fr. Geoffrey Chase
Order: OSB
Ordained: 1959
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused of abusing several children. Received treatment in 2002 related to past sexual abuse of a student. While in treatment Chase admitted to abusing three others in the early 1970s-early 1980s. Chase fell ill in 2017. Status unknown.
Br. Peter Claver
Order: SC
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 04/1975
Accused in April 2012 of abuse at a school in Rhode Island. Worked as a teacher and administrator in schools of the Sacred Heart Brothers in New England and Canada. At least one claim of abuse involving Claver has been settled.
Fr. Joseph D’Angelo
Ordained: 1947
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Name included in the diocese’s September 2002 $13.5M mass settlement of 36 sexual abuse lawsuits alleging abuse by 11 priests and a nun. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Anthony A. DeAngelis
Ordained: 1935
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 01/24/1990
Accused by a woman in 1994 of sexual abuse. The woman alleges that DeAngelis abused her from 1957-65 at a parish school, beginning when she was age 5. Diocese paid $12.5 thousand to the survivor in April 1996, for therapy costs. DeAngelis was added to the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Normand J. Demers
Ordained: 1958
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 07/21/2018
Accused of abusing several boys in the 1970s and 1980s at an orphanage and school Demers founded in Haiti. Demers was arrested but released. Demers was removed in 2002, accused of sexually abusing a boy, ages 12-14, about 35 years prior. Retired in 2005. In February 2020, a 50-year-old man brought a lawsuit claiming Demers abused him and alleging Demers trafficked boys as early as the 1970s through his charities. That suit was dismissed in October 2020.
Fr. Alfred R. Desrosiers
Ordained: 1961
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 02/15/2001
Accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl in 1972 and another in 1975-76 in two separate civil suits filed in 1994. Claims were settled in September 2002 as part of $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims of priest abuse in the Providence diocese and allegations against 11 priests and a nun.
Fr. Paul Desrosiers
Ordained: 1940
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 1984
Name added in 2019 to the diocese’s list of those credibly accused of abuse of a minor.
Fr. Louis M. Diogo
Ordained: 1946
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 04/04/2015
Accused of abusing his cousin and cousin’s sister in the 1950s and 1960s. Not charged criminally but found the woman to be credible. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Charles Dolan
Ordained: 1930
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 11/05/1977
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its list in July 2019. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. Louis Ward Dunn
Ordained: 1947
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 04/18/2001
Accused in 1994 of sexual misconduct of a woman, who was a minor at the time of the abuse. Dunn was placed on leave in 1994. Several suits were filed after that, and some claims were settled in 2002. The RI Supreme Court dismissed a case brought by a female accuser in February 2008. Dunn was added to the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Oscar Ferland
Ordained: 1944
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 07/08/1998
Named publicly as accused on diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. John F. Ferry
Ordained: 1957
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 04/11/1988
Accused of drugging and abusing a high school student in the late 1960s. The alleged victim wrote a letter that included complaints from more than 35 other alleged clergy abuse victims and sent it to police. Information was not released to the public until November 2013, after an NBC 10 investigation. Ferry was added to diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Kevin R. Fisette
Ordained: 1981
Status: Indicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in 2009 of sexually abusing a boy from 1981-82. State police found allegations to be credible. No criminal charges due to the statute of limitations. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list. Indicted in May 2022 by the Statewide Grand Jury for the abuse in 1981-82.
Fr. Edmund Fitzgerald
Ordained: 1957
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused of sexually abusing a boy and the boy’s brother in the 1960s. Removed from the ministry in August 1998. Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Deacon Laurence Gagnon
Status: Charged
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in 2011 of inappropriately touching at least three young boys. Arrested in August 2011 and charged with three counts of second-degree child molestation. On the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. William Gillooly
Ordained: 1944
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 09/02/1989
Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after Gillooly’s death.
Fr. Bede Gorman
Order: OSB
Ordained: 1944
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 05/08/1985
Known as “Father Bede,” Gorman spent entire career at Portsmouth Abbey School as teacher, coach, athletic director, and housemaster of a dorm called “The Barn.” Accused in November 2016 of past sex abuse. Four allegations deemed credible surfaced of abuse of students during the 1950s until 1972.
Fr. Timothy J. Gorton
Ordained: 1982
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in January 2012 of misconduct around 30 years prior. Gorton’s nephew came forward in January 2012 to allege that he was abused at age 12 by Gorton in 1983. Per diocese, Gorton retired without privileges, in part, because the review board found credible allegations.
Fr. Richard Holden
Ordained: 1964
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 03/23/1985
Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. James W. Jackson
Order: FSSP
Ordained: 1985
Status: Arrested
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Arrested in October 2021 on charges related to child pornography. Police discovered a large amount of child sexual abuse material they determined belonged to Jackson, including images and videos of prepubescent girls, infants, and toddlers engaging in sex acts.
Arrested in June 2022 in Leawood, KS for child porn possession due to activity on his computer detected in May 2022-June 2022. Held at a RI detention facility in October 2022. Trial scheduled for November 2022. No further updates available as of early 2023.
Fr. Edward J. Kelley
Ordained: 1968
Status: Indicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Arrested in May 2021 in SC for the alleged sexual assault of a boy in 1983 in North Smithfield, RI. In July 2021 Kelley was reportedly being held at Eleanor Slater Hospital in RI, where he was to be evaluated. Ruled incompetent to stand trial in February 2022, due to advanced dementia.
Fr. Michael V. LaMountain
Ordained: 1976
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 08/25/2010
Indicted in October 1997 on criminal charges that he molested five boys from the 1970s-1990s. Pleaded guilty in January 1999 to nine counts. Sentenced to nine 12-year suspended sentences. At least two civil suits were filed in December 1995. Claims settled in September 2002 as part of a $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims and the diocese. Included on Baltimore archdiocese’s September 2002 list of accused. On the Providence diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Paul Henry Leech
Ordained: 1980
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Convicted of molesting 3-4 boys from 1982-1984. Sentenced in 1985 to 86 years in prison but ordered to serve 3 years and then 12 years’ probation. In 1994 more allegations of abuse emerged. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list. Said in 2020 to be living in Rochester, NY.
Fr. Roland M. Lepire
Ordained: 1975
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Suit filed in February 1996 alleging that Lepire abused a young man on several occasions in 1978 and that the pastor of the church helped cover it up. Claims against Lepire settled in September 2002 as part of $13.5M mass settlement involving 36 victims of priest abuse in Providence diocese. Another suit filed in 2003 alleging abuse by Lepire in the early 1980s was settled in August 2008 as part of $1.326M settlement by Providence diocese. Laicized in 2004.
Fr. Philip A. Magaldi
Ordained: 1960
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 08/2008
Accused in a 1999 lawsuit of abusing a boy in Boston while a Providence priest. Plaintiff died; suit dismissed in 2000. Another claim settled in August 2012 in Ft. Worth. Lawsuit filed in September 2019 claimed abuse of a boy, ages 12-17, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while pastor of St. Anthony’s in Providence.
Fr. Robert A. Marcantonio
Ordained: 1967
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 10/20/1999
Marcantonio was the subject of many suits for alleged abuse, including a civil suit filed 1991 in IA, six suits filed in 1993, and one in 1994 in RI. Some claims were included in the September 2002 settlement with the Providence diocese. One claim was settled in August 2008 as part of a $1.326 million settlement by the Providence diocese. Marcantonio was cited in the November 2008 RICO suit. Added to the Providence diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Daniel McCallion
Order: LC
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in a federal lawsuit filed in April 2021 of sexually abusing a girl, age 13, in the 1990s in RI. Per the suit, the girl was abused during confession.
Fr. Robert J. McIntyre
Ordained: 1963
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
At least two civil suits in 1992 and 1993 named McIntyre as responsible for covering up abuse at RI Catholic orphanage St. Aloysius Home and conspiring to prevent proper reporting procedures. One man alleges that McIntyre also participated in his abuse. A jury found no evidence to support charges during a civil trial in 1999. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Barry Meehan
Ordained: 1978
Status: Arrested
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 12/18/2016
Accused in December 2012 of abusing a teenage boy between 1986 and 1991. State Police were notified; during their investigation police uncovered a second accuser who said Meehan abused him in 1991 and 1992. Meehan was arrested in November 2014 and charged with five counts of first-degree sexual assault. Laicized in 2015. On the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Richard L. Meglio
Ordained: 1972
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in a civil suit of molestation of a minor in the 1970s. Suit settled in 2002 as part of $13.5M mass settlement. Added to diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Adrian Menard
Ordained: 1946
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 02/11/1976
Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. Edmund C. Micarelli
Ordained: 1959
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
A 1993 civil suit and six suits filed in 1995 alleged that Micarelli abused at least seven boys, one for seven years. Claims against Micarelli were settled in September 2002 as part of a $13.5 million settlement involving 36 victims. A 2012 article references his involvement in the Boy Scouts and his cover-up of at least one abuser. On the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. William C. O’Connell
Ordained: 1950
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 05/12/1996
A civil suit settled in June 1993 and an October 1994 RICO suit alleged abuse of three boys from 1965-72. Pled guilty to abuse and sentenced in 1986 to 5 years. In 1995, pleaded guilty again in another case and was sentenced to 10 years. Other suits were part of September 2002 and March 2003 settlements. On the diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. William O’Neill
Ordained: 1968
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 05/3/2000
Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. John N. Petrocelli
Ordained: 1971
Status: Charged
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused of abusing a boy in the late 1980s. Claim settled in August 2008 as part of a $1.326 million settlement by the diocese. Added to the diocese’s July 2019 list. A separate lawsuit in October 2020 dismissed. Petrocelli was indicted in November 2020 by a statewide grand jury on charges of abuse of three young boys from November 1981-October 1990. Petrocelli pleaded not guilty.
Fr. Hugh Rafferty
Ordained: 1964
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 01/2001
Named on the RI diocese’s July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death. Also included on Rockville Centre diocese’s list of accused in March 2021.
Fr. William Raiche
Ordained: 1932
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 03/26/1983
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. Guertin Rene
Ordained: 1946
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 01/23/1982
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its July 2019 list. Allegation(s) received after his death.
Fr. Joseph James Rocha
Order: OP
Ordained: 1966
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 2009
Pled guilty to 1999 sexual assault of a 21-year-old mentally disabled. Settlement with Order in November 2015 regarding alleged abuse of a minor from 1968-69 in MA; sentenced to 10 years’ probation and counseling. Ordered to register as sex offender. Included on Attorney Garabedian’s March 2016 list of accused clerics named in civil claims resulting in settlements or arbitration awards. On Dominican Province of St. Joseph’s 2018 list. On Providence diocese’s July 2019 list.
Deacon Edward J. Sadowski, Jr.
Ordained: 1979
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Arrested in MA in 2001 after arranging over the internet to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex and pornographic videos. Sentenced in 2002 to two years in prison and five years’ probation. Arrested in RI twice more on similar charges. Convicted in May 2010. On Providence diocese’s July 2019 list.
Fr. Francis C. Santilli
Ordained: 1980
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in 2022 of sexual abuse of a minor in 1979 or 1980. Unable to criminally prosecute due to statute of limitations. The diocese had received reports of the sexual abuse of minors by Santilli twice before: in 2012 and 2014. One alleged victim is known to have died by suicide. The Diocesan Review Board determined that both the 2012 and 2014 allegations lacked credibility, and Santilli was kept in ministry. Lawsuit filed in May 2022.
Fr. Peter Scagnelli
Ordained: 1976
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Died: 07/12/2017
Named publicly as accused on the diocese’s July 2019 list. Removed from ministry in January 1994.
Fr. James M. Silva
Ordained: 1967
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Accused in at least eight suits of abusing boys and young men from the 1960s to the 1980s. First suit filed in 1994. Criminal charges also were filed in 1994. Eight claims were settled by the diocese as part of a $13.5M mass settlement in September 2002. On diocese’’s July 2019 list. Indicted in November 2021 on charges of abuse of a boy under the age of 14 from 1989-90, after an investigation by the A.G. and RI State Police. Never served time in jail.
Sister Mary Claudine
Order: RSM
Status: Settled
Diocese: Diocese of Providence RI
Name included in diocese’’s September 2002 $13.5 million mass settlement in 36 sexual abuse lawsuits alleging abuse by 11 priests and a nun.
Fr. Brendan Smyth (John Gerard Brendan Smyth)
Ordained: 1951
Status: Convicted
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Died: 08/22/1997
From and worked in Ireland. Later worked in the states of RI, ND, and MA. Sentenced in 1995 to 4 years in prison in Ireland on 17 counts of assaulting 5 girls and 4 boys from 1964-1988. Sentenced in 1997 to 12 years in prison for abusing 20 boys and girls. The abuser and diocese were sued multiple times by victims in Ireland and the United States. On Providence diocese’s list in July 2019. On Fargo diocese’s list in January 2020.
Fr. William Tanguay
Ordained: 1969
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its list in July 2019. Removed from ministry in 2002. Accused of abuse in RI from 1965-1981. Also worked in Minneapolis, MN and Charlotte, NC.
Fr. Peter L.Tedeschi
Ordained: 1960
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Died: 10/18/1986
Accused for repeatedly sexually abusing an underage girl for over a year in the sanctuary, rectory, his car, and in school hallways. Victim alleged telling another priest during confession at age 15 but was told to tell no one. Victim confronted her alleged abuser at age 22 and said he admitted to the abuse. Victim informed the diocese on two occasions. Diocese contacted law enforcement in 2012. Named on the diocese’s list in July 2019.
Fr. John Tormey
Ordained: 1967
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its list in July 2019. Noted to have resigned from ministry in 1979. Alleged abuse reported to the diocese in 2003. Tormey denied the allegations. Filed a defamation suit against the diocese and Bishop Tobin in 2018.
Fr. Biagio Samuel Turillo
Ordained: 1946
Status: Accused
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Retired in 1994, the diocese announced in 2016 that Turillo was “prohibited from exercising the sacred ministry” due to a credible allegation of sexual misconduct of a minor about 60 years prior. Named publicly as accused by the diocese on its list in July 2019.
Fr. Armand Ventre
Ordained: 1957
Status: Acquitted
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Died: 12/27/99
Indicted in 1985 for sexually molesting two altar boys and one mentally handicapped youth from 1981-1984. The judge dismissed the charges relating to the altar boys and found Ventre not guilty of abuse of the handicapped boy in 1986. Returned to active assignment until retiring in 1999. Named on the July 2019 diocese’s list as being removed from ministry in 1985.
Br. John M. Walderman
Order: CFC
Status: Sued
Diocese: Diocese of
Providence RI
Arrested and indicted for soliciting sex from a minor boy in 1986 while serving as principal of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, RI. Charge dropped in 1987.
Did You Suffer Clergy Abuse in Rhode Island?
If you or someone you love suffered clergy abuse by a Rhode Island priest or someone else associated with the church, the experienced clergy sex abuse lawyers at Saunders & Walker P.A. may be able to help.
Even if you were abused years or decades ago, you may still have a claim. Legislation passed in 2019 gives survivors even more rights.
You don’t need to be able to provide physical evidence of the abuse, nor do you need to currently live in Rhode Island to file a claim against a Rhode Island clergy member who abused you. Your testimony will be key to proving your claim. If other victims of your abuser have also come forward to share their stories, this will also likely help your case.
You also may be able to file a claim on behalf of the sex abuse survivor if you are their parent, legal guardian, or conservator. A victim’s estate may also be able file a legal claim on behalf of the victim.
Even if you don’t see the name of the person who abused you on the list of priests accused of abuse in Rhode Island, it does not mean you don’t have a claim.
We urge you to contact our office. There is no substitute for sound legal advice when you have been the victim of past abuse by a trusted religious figure.
Contact us today at 1-800-748-7115 to speak to one of our experienced team members. Our Rhode Island clergy abuse attorneys can help you build your case.
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