Rhode Island Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit
The Catholic Church in Rhode Island has a documented history of clergy abuse, especially in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. Rhode Island has established a two-year revival window for childhood sexual abuse claims. From July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, survivors may file lawsuits against both perpetrators and responsible institutions, even if the original statute of limitations has already expired. If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse as a child by a Rhode Island clergy member it’s important to take action now. Contact Helping Survivors today to help you file a lawsuit.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- An investigation by the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General found that 75 clergy members from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence abused more than 300 children between 1950 and 2022.
- New legislation created a two-year revival window from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028 allowing survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against institutions and organizations, even if the statute of limitations has already expired.
- Diocese of Providence revealed that it had paid over $21 million in settlements to survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy members.
- Our partnered sex abuse attorneys can help you file a civil lawsuit against the church. They operate on a contingency basis which means they only get paid if they win your case.
Overview of Sexual Abuse Allegations
The Catholic Church in Rhode Island has faced widespread allegations of abuse by clergy members since the mid-20th century, and the Diocese of Providence alone has had at least 75 bishops, priests, and other clergy members credibly accused of abuse. Several former priests in the Diocese have been indicted and even convicted on child sexual abuse charges, while others have quietly settled abuse claims against them outside of court with the Church’s help. Abuse by clergy members can include grooming, molestation, rape, and more, and the Church has been found time and time again to cover up reports of abuse and silence victims. Additionally, the widespread allegations span not only to churches where clergy members have served but clergy-run schools and other facilities as well.
Since Pennsylvania’s bombshell 2018 grand jury report identifying hundreds of Catholic clergy members accused of sexual abuse, many states have followed suit in working to identify abusers in the Church and compensate survivors for what they endured.
The Rhode Island Senate unanimously approved legislation that would create a two-year revival window from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. This allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against institutions and organizations that allegedly enabled or concealed abuse, even if the statute of limitations has already expired.
On July 2, 2026, in light of the lookback window opening on July 1, 30 new lawsuits were filed against Rhode Island clergy, including many of which name the Catholic Diocese of Providence or “The Bishop” as defendants.
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Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Settlements
The Diocese of Providence has paid millions to survivors of clergy abuse. In 2019,
the diocese disclosed it had paid more than $21 million in settlements to abuse survivors.
- 2008: 4 separate lawsuits reached a $1.3 million settlement for multiple survivors. This was because some of the plaintiffs from the original 2002 settlement rejected that offer and filed a second lawsuit. The average per case payout was $325,000.
- 2002: 36 survivors were awarded a $13.5 million settlement alleging sexual abuse against 10 priests and 1 nun. The legal battle lasted 10 years before a settlement was reached. The average payout per survivor was $375,000.
What Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Settlements Tell Us
Diocese settlements in Rhode Island have ranged from $325,000 to $375,000+ per survivor on average. Individual settlements vary based on:
- Severity and duration of abuse
- Number of perpetrators involved
- Evidence of institutional negligence or cover-up
- Victim’s psychological/medical impact
- Quality of legal representation
With the 2026 revival window, the diocese may face additional claims that could increase this total.
Rhode Island Two Year Revival Window & Statute of Limitations
In 2026, a two-year “lookback window” was passed allowing survivors to file claims that would otherwise be time-barred by the statute of limitations. The lookback window started on July 1, 2026, and extends until June 30, 2028.
Originally, survivors could pursue abuse that occurred before 2024 until the survivor turns 53. In 2019, Annie’s Law went into effect, making the statute of limitations retroactive so survivors under 53 could file regardless of when abuse occurred.
In a criminal case, a prosecutor files charges against the perpetrator, who may face jail time if they are found guilty of a crime. Civil cases, however, allow victims to hold both the perpetrator and any liable third parties financially accountable for abuse.
How a Clergy Sex Abuse Attorney Can Help
Sexual abuse attorneys and legal teams work not just to help victims of abuse secure justice and compensation but to guide them on the path to healing through sensitive, trauma-informed practices. Our partnered attorneys at Milberg can assist you with gathering evidence, securing expert testimony, accessing hard-to-reach church records that may corroborate your claim, filing documents on time, and providing emotional support throughout the legal process. By working with an experienced lawyer at Milberg, you may be able to recover damages for medical expenses, therapy costs, lost wages, and more.
Our partnered clergy sex abuse attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t pay anything for their services unless they win your case.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
If you or a loved one endured sexual abuse by a priest, bishop, deacon, or other clergy member in Rhode Island, you are not alone, and you have rights and options for seeking justice. At Helping Survivors, we offer confidential legal support to survivors of sexual abuse, empowering them to understand their rights and options after experiencing harm. By providing resources for support, educational content, and legal introductions to our partner law firms, we aim to empower survivors to assert their rights in full confidence.
There is no right or wrong answer after experiencing sexual abuse, especially as a child. However, if you decide you would like to take legal action against the perpetrator of the abuse and the institutions that enabled it, Helping Survivors can help. Our legal partners work with survivors to file civil lawsuits against the wealthy institutions that enabled the abuse, aiming to compensate victims for their suffering. Get legal help here today.
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Marc Grossman
Senior Partner, Milberg PLLC
30+ years of complex litigation experience. Marc is recognized by Lawdragon 500 as one of America’s leading litigators. He’s committed to institutional accountability and survivor support.
Melinda Maxson
Senior Counsel, Milberg PLLC
20+ years representing survivors. Melinda has been involved in landmark cases exposing systemic failures in institutions, including her work on the T.T. v. Roblox case. She believes survivors deserve every legal avenue to seek accountability.
Legal Rights & Options for Survivors Impacted by Sexual Abuse
Under Rhode Island’s Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights, a number of rights are guaranteed to all victims of sexual assault and abuse, even if they choose not to participate in the criminal justice system or obtain a medical examination. Survivors of sexual assault in Rhode Island have:
- The right to obtain a medical examination and sexual assault evidence kit
- The right to choose whether to report the SA to law enforcement
- The right to consult with a victim advocate
- The right to pursue victim compensation
File a Civil Lawsuit
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse by clergy have the right to file civil lawsuits against both the individual clergy member who abused them and the Church itself for failing to protect them. Civil lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for the emotional, medical, and financial harm they endured as a result of the abuse. However, many states give survivors deadlines for filing these lawsuits. In Rhode Island, the civil child sexual abuse statute of limitations was extended to the victim’s 53rd birthday in 2019.
Under the current legislation, survivors can bring lawsuits not just against against institutions, like the church, for concealing the abuse, poor hiring practices, and failure to report.
Report Abuse to Oversight Agencies
In Rhode Island, all citizens are considered mandatory reporters. This means that any individual with reasonable suspicion of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, must report it to the state’s child abuse hotline within 24 hours of discovery. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-RI-CHILD (1-800-742-4453), and you may call anonymously. Additionally, you can report the abuse directly to the Church at some Diocese–for the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, you can contact the Office of Compliance to report abuse by clergy.
Report Sexual Abuse to Law Enforcement
Reporting sexual abuse to law enforcement is crucial to initiate any criminal investigation, and these reports can also serve as evidence in civil cases. Victims of Rhode Island clergy abuse can contact the Rhode Island State Police at 401-764-0142 to report abuse.
List of Accused Clergy Members
Accused Clergy Members in the Diocese of Providence
All information in this section is taken from the Rhode Island Attorney General Diocese Report of credibly accused clergy members and the Bishop Accountability Diocese of Providence database.
| Priest Name | Date Ordained | Date Suspended/Retired | Status | Summary of Allegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Menard | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Adrien Menard was accused of sexually abusing three or more children during his 30 years in ministry. The allegations concerned abuse of two young teenage boys at Sacred Heart Church in Central Falls and Saint Joseph Church in Woonsocket in the 1950s and 1960s. |
| Alfred Desrosiers | N/A | N/A | Living | Between 1972 and the mid-1980s, while serving as a priest in the Diocese of Providence, Father Alfred Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused three teenage girls and one boy. Providence received the first complaint against Desrosiers in March 1993, when a relationship with Desrosiers as a teenager surfaced. |
| Alfred Lonardo | Feb. 4, 1937 | Jun. 8, 1963 | Deceased (Feb. 4, 2007) | In early 2022, a complainant reported to the Rhode Island State Police and the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office that between 1994 and 1996, starting when he was 15 years old, he was sexually abused by Father Alfred Lonardo. |
| Alfred Santagata | Aug. 25, 1914 | N/A | Living | Father Alfred Santagata reportedly sexually abused two children in the 1960s. The Diocese first learned of allegations against Father Santagata in March 1995, when Office of Education and Compliance Director Robert McCarthy received a nine- page handwritten letter. |
| Anthony DeAngelis | Oct. 14, 1909 | Mar. 18, 1935 | Deceased (Nov. 1, 1979) | In 1994, Dr. Ann Hagan Webb’ reported to the Diocese that Monsignor Anthony DeAngelis sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions between 1957 and 1965, when she was a young girl. The assaults reportedly took place in the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick. The initial investigation was |
| Armand Ventre | Feb. 8, 1932 | Jun. 30, 1957 | Deceased (Dec. 1, 1999) | Father Armand Ventre reportedly abused six boys and one mentally disabled adult male during his four decades as a priest in the Diocese of Providence. In 1985, Ventre was criminally charged with child molestation and related offenses for his alleged abuse of three boys during the previous five years. |
| Barry Meehan | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Barry Meehan reportedly sexually abused at least four boys and one young man between 1983 and the mid-2000s. The complainants worked at his parishes as assistants or altar boys. |
| Biagio Samuel Turillo | Jul. 6, 1920 | Jun. 15, 1946 | Deceased (Jun. 29, 2016) | Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was accused of sexually abusing at least two boys in the 1950s. Though the Diocese first learned of allegations of sexual abuse against Turillo in 1952 or 1953, it did not remove him from service. |
| Charles Dolan | Dec. 20, 1930 | N/A | Living | Father Charles Dolan reportedly sexually abused at least two teenage girls from 1938 through the early 1950s. Dolan reportedly raped a 15-year-old girl in the rectory of St. Joseph Church in Pawtucket in 1938. In 1949, Dolan received “treatment” at Via Coeli in New Mexico. |
| Daniel Azzarone | Mar. 11, 1951 | Jun. 16, 1978 | Living | Father Daniel Azzarone was accused of child sexual abuse by at least six boys and convicted of raping two. The alleged abuse spanned Azzarone’s time in ministry to subsequent reported incidents near the time of his arrest and subsequent removal in 2001. |
| Dennis Brodeur | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Dennis Brodeur reportedly sexually abused a young teenage boy on multiple occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while Brodeur was serving as assistant pastor of St. Jude’s Parish in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The Diocese was first contacted about the alleged abuse on January 6, 2004. |
| Edmond Micarelli | Jan. 29, 1923 | May 23, 1959 | Living | Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, while serving as a chaplain for the Boy Scouts at Camp Yawgoog in Hopkinton, Father Edmond Micarelli reportedly sexually abused at least 12 children ages 8-15, as well as an 18-year-old young man. Additionally, Micarelli reportedly sexually abused at least four others at other locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The first complaint against him surfaced in 1988. In 2002, the Diocese settled multiple claims with Micarelli's victims for over two million dollars. |
| Edmund Fitzgerald | Dec. 5, 1929 | May 25, 1957 | Deceased (Jun. 21, 2002) | Father Edmund Fitzgerald reportedly sexually abused at least eight children during his tenure as a priest with the Diocese of Providence. The reported abuse spanned from the late 1950s until the early 1980s, involved boys and girls, and occurred at several churches throughout Rhode Island, most prom |
| Edward Kelley | Mar. 21, 1942 | Jun. 8, 1968 | Deceased (Jan. 31, 2013) | Father Edward Kelley reportedly sexually abused three victims during his 40 years of service. In 1982, Kelley became the legal guardian of a teenage boy who lived with him and the Diocese became aware he was sleeping in the same bed as the boy, but the Diocese ultimately did not report the complaints to law enforcement. Years later, this victim reported to the Rhode Island State Police that Kelley had sexually abused him on numerous occasions. In 2021, a Rhode Island grand jury indicted Kelley on three counts of first-degree sexual assault. Kelley died while the case was pending. |
| Edward Sadowski | Jun. 18, 1977 | N/A | Living | Deacon Edward Sadowski was ordained in 1977 and served in several parishes and other assignments within the Diocese throughout his career. In July 2001, Sadowski was arrested following a sting operation where he communicated with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. He pled guilty to attempted statutory rape and multiple child pornography charges, and in January 2002, he was sentenced to two years in prison and five years of probation. |
| Eugene Corbesero | Apr. 27, 1933 | Feb. 9, 1962 | Living | Father Eugene Corbesero was a religious order priest of the Consolata Society for Foreign Missions who reportedly sexually abused multiple boys between the mid 1970s and 2006. After the 2006 assault of a 12-year-old boy in New Jersey in which the boy reported to police after, Corbesero admitted the abuse and pled guilty in October of 2007 to charges of second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced to serve five years in prison. |
| Francis Santilli | Aug. 1, 1953 | Jun. 27, 1980 | Living | Father Francis Santilli reportedly sexually abused at least three altar boys, ages seven to 12, in the early 1980s at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Providence and St. Charles Borromeo Church in Woonsocket. The Diocese received the first report alleging sexual abuse by Santilli in 2012, a second report in 2014, and a third in 2021. Each time, the Diocese referred the abuse allegations to the Rhode Island S t a t e Police who could not pursue criminal charges because the misconduct occurred outside the applicable statute of limitations. Despite the multiple allegations, Father Santilli remained in ministry until 2022. |
| Francis Xavier Battel | Jun. 2, 1931 | May 25, 1957 | Living | Father Francis Xavier Battel reportedly sexually abused a 14- to 15-year-old boy who worked in the rectory of St. Mary’s in Pawtucket in the 1960s while Battel was assigned to the parish. The abuse was reported in 2010, but Battel had abandoned his ministry in the late 1960s and had died in 1977. |
| Hugh Rafferty | Mar. 21, 1933 | Jun. 4, 1964 | Deceased (Dec. 23, 1976) | In the 1960s, while assigned to St. Matthew Church in Cranston, Father Hugh Rafferty reportedly sexually abused a 13-year-old female parishioner. The woman first reported her abuse to the Diocese in 1995, while Rafferty was still living, but there is no indication that the Diocese confronted Rafferty about the complaint. The Diocese reported the allegation to law enforcement in 2016, after the complainant reported her abuse to the Diocese a second time, but Rafferty had been deceased for 15 years. |
| James Campbell | June 25, 1945 | N/A | Living | Father James Campbell, a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart religious order, reportedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy on multiple occasions from 1975 to 1976. Campbell was convinced in Massachusetts in 2004 of molesting two children, a boy and a girl, on separate occasions in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, from 1975 to 1978 while assigned to St. Joseph Church in West Warwick. |
| James Jackson | Jun. 3, 1955 | May 18, 1985 | Living | Father James W. Jackson served at St. Mary Church in Providence from August to October 2021. Bishop Tobin allowed Jackson to serve in the Diocese for a six-year term after the North American Provincial of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter attested to Jackson's Character. On October 30, 2021, the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children ("ICAC") Task Force arrested Father Jackson on state child pornography charges. A court-authorized search of the rectory led to the seizure of an external digital storage device and computer belonging to Father Jackson which contained over 12,000 images and 1,300 videos of child pornography. State Police charged Jackson with possession of child pornography, transfer of child pornography, and child erotica prohibited. Father Jackson pled guilty to one charge of receipt of child pornography on June 8, 2023. He was sentenced to six years in prison t o be followed by five years of federal supervised release |
| John Allard | Sep. 19, 1975 | Feb. 21, 2013 | Living | From October 1981-1983, Monsignor John Allard reportedly sexually abused a teenage altar boy on numerous occasions. The abuse occurred in the rectory of Immaculate Conception Church in Cranston, Rhode Island, as well as at both Allard's residence in Chepachet and the complainant's family's home. The complainaint disclosed the abuse to the Diocese in 2013. The Diocesan Review Board deemed the allegations credible after Monsignor Allard admitted that they were true, and in February 2013, the Diocese placed Allard on administrative leave and ordered him to a "life of prayer and penance." |
| John Crafton | Jul. 31, 1913 | N/A | Living | Father John Crafton was a priest with the Missionary Society of St. Columban who reportedly sexually abused a young girl for six or seven years beginning when she was about five years old during the 1960s. The complainant reported the abuse to the Diocese in June 1994 and again in 2006. In July 2024, the Rhode Island State Police contacted the complainant, who confirmed her previously reported allegations. She also noted another individual whom Crafton possibly abused and offered to ask that person (whom she did not identify) to speak to the State Police. |
| John Doran | Mar. 1, 1925 | Jun. 3, 1950 | Deceased (Jan. 23, 1992) | Father John Doran allegedly sexually abused an 1l- or 12-year-old altar boy around 1962, while assigned to St. Patrick Parish in Cranston. After the complainant first reported to the Diocese in early March 2002, he added his suspicion that other altar boys had also been abused by Father Doran and mentioned the name of an acquaintance who served alongside him at St. Patrick. |
| John Ferry | N/A | N/A | Living | During the 1960s, Father John Ferry reportedly sexually abused four boys and a young man between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. In each instance, Ferry reportedly provided the teens with alcohol before touching them inappropriately. Ferry predeceased all the allegations made against him. |
| John Francis O'Neil | May 25, 1911 | May 22, 1937 | Living | Father John F. O'Neil reportedly touched an 11-or 12-year-old girl inappropriately in the summer of 1959 or 1960 in the girl’s home while conducting a parish census for St. Thomas Parish in Providence. The girl was a parishioner at St. Thomas and a student at St. Thomas School at the time. |
| John Gerard Brendan Smyth | Jun. 8, 1927 | Jul. 31, 1951 | Living | While assigned to Our Lady of Mercy Church in East Greenwich as an assistant pastor, Father Brendan Smyth reportedly sexually abused 17 children between 1965 and 1968. Similarities between the complaints reveal that Smyth preyed on young parishioners at Our Lady of Mercy School, abusing his position as a supervisor of altar servers to gain access to and sexually assault children. Church officials received their first complaint of sexual abuse against Smyth in the spring of 1967. In February 1968, Smyth was ordered to return to his religious order in Ireland. Following his departure from the Diocese, Smyth continued to sexually abuse children at subsequent assignments in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and North Dakota. In 1994, Smyth pled guilty in a British court to charges of sexually abusing five girls and two boys and then to 26 additional charges of sexually abusing nine girls and four boys in 1995. After serving a four-year prison sentence, Smyth pled guilty to 74 charges of sexually assaulting 13 girls and seven boys in a Dublin District Court. |
| John H. Flanagan | Aug. 27, 1908 | Dec. 5, 1933 | Living | In 2016, a woman reported to the Diocese that Father John Flanagan sexually abused her for several years, beginning when she was six years old, while he was an assistant pastor at St. Patrick’s in Cumberland in the 1960s. |
| John Joseph Keough Feeney | N/A | N/A | Living | According to a complainant who came forward in 2004, Father John Feeney reportedly sexually assaulted two teenage boys around 1965. The complainant stated that he and three other teenagers spent time at the Narragansett beach house belonging to Diocesan priest William O'Connell, where his assault took place. He also alleged that he witnessed Father Feeney sexually assault one of the other boys present at O'Connell's beach house that night and believed Father Feeney to have sexually abused yet another boy on a different occasion. |
| John Powers | Jun. 12, 1952 | N/A | Living | Father John Powers reportedly sexually abused two boys in the early 1960s while assigned to St. Pius V Church in Providence. In July 1995, the Diocese was informed of the first complainant’s allegations. There is no record of any Diocesan investigation into these allegations, and it does not appear that the Diocese notified law enforcement of the complaint for another 13 years, until June 2008, in connection with the second complainant’s allegations. In June 2008, Complainant B contacted the Diocese directly to report that he was abused by Powers when he was a boy at St. Pius V. Director McCarthy referred the matter to the Dominican Order, which reached a monetary settlement with Complainant B the following month.. |
| John Tormey | N/A | N/A | Living | The Diocese included John Tormey on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy after receiving a report alleging that he sexually abused two sisters in the late 1960s. Tormey was assigned to St. Margaret Church in East Providence at the time of the alleged abuse. |
| Joseph Abruzzese | May 14, 1959 | Nov. 17, 1990 | Living | Father Joseph Abruzzese pled nolo contendere for sexually assaulting a 16-year- old boy in Roger Williams Park in 1993 while he was assigned to St. Anthony Parish in North Providence, Rhode Island. The Diocese suspended Father Abruzzese from ministry a few days after the assault was reported to the police. |
| Joseph D'Angelo | Jan. 3, 1947 | Apr. 21, 1979 | Deceased (Sep. 22, 2006) | Father Joseph D'Angelo is accused of sexually abusing at least four boys during his four years as a priest in the Diocese of Providence. He was accused of abusing two boys in 1980 and 1981 while assigned to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Providence,and at least two other boys from 1981 to 1983 while assigned to St. Margaret Parish in East Providence. |
| Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Lacasse, a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate religious order (known informally as the Oblates), reportedly forcibly kissed an 11-year- old child at the Oblate’s retreat center located in Cumberland, Rhode Island. |
| Joseph McCra | Jul. 10, 1921 | N/A | Living | Between 1951 and 1964, Father Joseph McCra reportedly sexually abused at least two boys and attempted to molest others. According to Diocesan records provided to this Office, Bishop Russell Joseph McVinney-who served as head of the Diocese for nearly a quarter of a century, from 1948 until 1971—was fully aware of the child sexual abuse allegations against McCra, yet repeatedly reassigned McCra to positions within the Diocese where he continued to have access to, and reportedly abused, children. |
| Joseph Rocha | Apr. 16, 1940 | Jun. 9, 1966 | Deceased (Jan. 29, 1988) | In 2001, Father Rocha pled guilty to sexually assaulting a 21-year-old mentally disabled man at an assisted living facility in North Providence where he was working in 1999. He received a suspended sentence of 10 years in prison with 10 years of probation, along with a no contact order and was o r d e r e d to register as a sex offender. In 2012, a man reported to the Diocese that Father Rocha sexually assaulted him three times during the summer of 1982, when he was eight or nine years old. And in 2019, an attorney contacted the Diocese to report that Rocha sexually assaulted his client when he was a minor, in 1981 or 1982, while Rocha was assigned to Bishop Hendricken High School. |
| Laurence Gagnon | Jul. 25, 1940 | Aug. 10, 2011 | Living | Deacon Laurence Gagnon was convicted of sexually assaulting three of his students at St. Joseph School in West Warwick between 2006 and 2011 and was accused of sexually assaulting two other students there during the same time period Three students reported the misconduct in April 2011.During the investigation, three additional potential victims came to light. After an investigation, Gagnon was charged with 14 counts of second-degree child molestation. He pled nolo contendere to three counts and the court sentenced him to 10 years in prison with one year to serve, the balance suspended with probation. He was also required to register as a Level 3 Sex Offender. |
| Louis Diogo | Dec. 11, 1920 | Jun. 23, 1946 | Living | Father Louis Diogo reportedly sexually abused two pairs of young sisters in the 1950s and 1960s, while serving as a pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence. The Diocese of Providence received the first complaint against Diogo in February 1993. The Diocese received a second complaint against Diogo in February 1997. The Diocese received the third and fourth complaints against Diogo in March 2006. |
| Louis Dunn | Dec. 19, 1920 | May 31, 1947 | Deceased (Jun. 24, 1994) | Monsignor Louis Dunn was accused of sexually assaulting at least five girls and young women during his tenure as a Diocesan priest. In June 1997, he was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman in June 1982. In that case, and several others, Dunn's pattern of abuse involved pursuing relationships with vulnerable females beginning when they were younger than 18 years old and continuing into their early 20s, and using his position of authority as a priest to manipulate them into consuming alcohol and drugs before sexually assaulting them. |
| Mario Bordignon | Dec. 5, 1923 | Jul. 18, 1950 | Living | February 2013, a complainant reported to the Diocese that, during the summer of 1964, Father Bordignon sexually assaulted her on several occasions when she was 15 years old. |
| Michael LaMountain | Mar. 5, 1949 | May 31, 1975 | Deceased (Feb. 11, 2005) | In January 1999, Father Michael LaMountain pled guilty to nine felony counts relating to his sexual assaults of five adolescent boys between the 1970s and early 1990s. LaMountain met these boys and committed these crimes while serving as a priest with the Diocese of Providence. |
| Michael W. Dziob | N/A | N/A | Living | In June 2020, a 38-year-old man contacted the Diocese through his attorney to report that he was sexually abused by Monsignor Michael Dziob at St. Leo the Great School, in Pawtucket, in the early 1990s, when the complainant was approximately nine years old. |
| Norman Leboeuf | Aug. 8, 1910 | May 22, 1937 | Living | Father Norman Leboeuf reportedly sexually abused a 14- to 15-year-old boy in 1965 or 1966 while serving at St. Agnes Parish in Providence. |
| Normand Demers | Sep. 14, 1932 | May 31, 1958 | Deceased (Mar. 25, 2002) | Over a more than thirty-year period between 1965 and 1997, Father Normand Demers reportedly sexually abused at least eleven boys and young men while serving as a priest for the Diocese of Providence. |
| Oscar Ferland | Mar. 16, 1918 | Jun. 1, 1991 | Living | Between 1964 and 1991, Father Oscar Ferland allegedly sexually abused several young girls and a boy. He was also accused of voyeurism by one complainant. The incidents reportedly occurred at St. Michael's Church in Providence, St. Luke’s Church and School in Barrington, and St. Joseph Church in Hope Valley. |
| Paul Charland | Apr. 24, 1945 | May 15, 1971 | Living | Father Paul Charland was accused of sexually assaulting at least two girls, one in the 1980s, and another in the late 1990s. His personnel file reveals that the Diocese received multiple complaints about his inappropriate behavior with girls and women during his tenure, though there are no specific allegations beyond those of the two girls. |
| Paul Desrosiers | May 12, 1913 | May 18, 1940 | Living | Father Paul Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused two boys in the early 1960s when he was the administrator of St. Joseph Church in Woonsocket, RI. |
| Paul F. Reynolds | Feb. 22, 1939 | Jun. 6, 1965 | Living | In late 2020, the Diocese’s Office of Education and Compliance (“OEC") learned through its outside counsel that two men sued the Diocese alleging that they were in North Providence around 1977 or 1978. Both civil cases were stayed in early 2021, pending the outcome of the Rhode Island Supreme Court's decision in Houllahan et al. v. Gelineau, which ultimately upheld a Superior Court judge's dismissal of plaintiffs' claims against hierarchical Diocesan defendants on statute of limitations grounds. The Reynolds complainants' complaints were ultimately dismissed in December 2023 for the same reason. |
| Paul Henry Leech | Mar. 10, 1950 | Sep. 26, 1980 | Living | Father Paul Henry Leech was suspended from ministry in 1984, a mere four years after his ordination, after admitting to sexually assaulting four children. In 1985, Leech pled nolo contendere to molesting those four children between 1979 and 1984. |
| Paul Tousignant | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Paul Tousignant reportedly sexually assaulted two males in the 1950s. The first complainant reported to the Archdiocese of Denver in 2013 that Tousignant sexually assaulted him at Precious Blood Parish in Woonsocket in 1956. |
| Peter L. Tedeschi | May 22, 1931 | Jun. 4, 1960 | Living | Twenty-six years after his death, Father Peter Tedeschi was accused of sexually abusing a 14- to 15-year-old girl while he was assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls during the summer of 1960. |
| Peter Scagnelli | Aug. 6, 1976 | N/A | Living | Father Peter Scagnelli was accused of sexually abusing six boys and two young men from 1977 to 1994. Scagnelli was also accused of grooming a teenage boy in 2000. The alleged abuse occurred at St. Timothy Parish in Warwick, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Bristol, Sacred Heart Parish in Woonsocket, and St. Anselm Abbey in Manchester, New Hampshire. |
| Philip Magaldi | Apr. 4, 1936 | Dec. 18, 1960 | Deceased (May 18, 2001) | Father Philip Magaldi reportedly sexually abused nine boys during his 38-year ministry. The allegations against Magaldi reveal a pattern of targeting at-risk youth, grooming them through lavish spending and gifts, and threatening retaliation if they reported the abuse. |
| Raphael Edes | N/A | N/A | Living | Brother Raphael Edes is a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (the “Christian Brothers”) religious order who served at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, allegedly sexually abused them when they were students at St. Raphael between 1986 and 1990. |
| Rene Guertin | Jan. 20, 1919 | N/A | Living | Father Rene Guertin reportedly sexually abused two girls while assigned to St. Aloysius Home, an orphanage in Smithfield, in the 1960s, and a third girl beginning in 1970 when he was assigned to Our Lady of Good Help Church in Burrillville. The allegations included rape and second-degree sexual assa |
| Richard Holden | Sep. 23, 1939 | May 23, 1964 | Living | Father Richard Holden reportedly sexually abused five boys during his 21 years in ministry. Holden reportedly “approached a boy in a sexual manner” in the early to mid-1960s while assigned to St. Aloysius Parish in Woonsocket and reportedly abused the other four boys from 1970 to 1982 while assigned |
| Richard Meglio | Nov. 6, 1941 | Feb. 12, 1972 | Living | Father Richard Meglio was accused of sexually abusing three boys while in active ministry in the Diocese of Providence. Meglio’s first victim reported his alleged sexual abuse to the Diocese in July 1994. He reported that he was abused in or about 1972, when he was 12 years old and a patient at Butl |
| Robert (aka Peter) Barnes | N/A | N/A | Living | The Diocese received two complaints against Brother Peter Barnes, a member of the De La Salle Christian Brothers religious order: the first complainant reported to the Diocese in 2002 that Barnes sexually assaulted her in 1963, when she was 17 years old, and the second complainant reported to the Di |
| Robert Carpentier | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Robert Carpentier reportedly sexually abused two boys in Woonsocket in the late 1960s and early 1970s, while serving as a priest at St. Agatha’s Church and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Woonsocket. He admitted the abuse of one of his complainants (“Complainant A”). He died before the se |
| Robert Marcantonio | Nov. 30, 1943 | Jun. 24, 1967 | Deceased (Aug. 17, 1989) | years, and was just 27 years old, when the Diocese received the first documented allegations of child sexual misconduct against him, relating to his abuse of “ten to psychiatrists, Marcantonio left Rhode Island for lowa in late 1970 to receive “treatment” by a priest and psychiatrist acquaintance of |
| Robert McIntyre | May 22, 1937 | Jun. 30, 1963 | Deceased (Mar. 30, 1994) | orphanage in Smithfield, in 1971, became its director in 1978, and remained in that position until St. Aloysius's closure in 1994. St. Aloysius was a residential foster-care and treatment facility for abused and neglected children in the state’s custody. Around the time of the closure of St. Aloysiu |
| Roger Belhumeur | Mar. 29, 1926 | May 27, 1961 | Deceased (Jun. 24, 1994) | Father Roger Belhumeur reportedly sexually assaulted a teenage boy approximately 30-40 times while working as the assistant pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Warwick. The alleged abuse lasted about a year, from 1969 to 1970, but stopped when the complainant's father complained to the Diocese in May 1970 |
| Roger C. Argencourt | Jan. 16, 1938 | N/A | Living | Brother Roger C. Argencourt, also known as Brother Odillion, was a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart religious order who reportedly sexually abused an eighth-grade student at Mount Saint Charles Academy during the 1985-1986 school year. The complainant reported to the Woonsocket Police Depa |
| Roland Lepire | Feb. 18, 1949 | Aug. 23, 1975 | Deceased (Oct. 1, 2004) | Father Roland Lepire is accused of sexually abusing at least six boys between the ages of 8 and 14 years old from 1975 to 1980, at parish assignments in Woonsocket, Cranston, and Central Falls. Lepire’s complainants reported that the priest touched their genitals while wrestling and tickling them, a |
| Thomas Dente Kofi Manu | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Thomas Manu was an extern priest who regularly worked a summer assignment at St. Mary Church in Bristol, from about 1980 to 2007. While assigned to St. Mary's, Manu lived in the rectory and officiated Mass on Prudence Island. In the summer of 1980, Father Manu reportedly sexually abused a 13- |
| Timothy Gorton | N/A | N/A | Living | Father Timothy Gorton reportedly sexually abused a 12-year-old boy in 1983 in the rectory of St. Joseph Church in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The complainant reported his abuse to Narragansett Police which, after determining that prosecution was foreclosed due to the |
| Vincent Cavanaugh | N/A | N/A | Living | Brother Vincent Cavanaugh |
| William Gillooly | Nov. 11, 1918 | N/A | Living | The Diocese received three complaints accusing Father William Gillooly of sexually assaulting boys between the ages of 8 and 15, while he was assigned to St. Francis Church in South Kingstown and St. Rita Church in Warwick, between 1965- 1978. |
| William O'Connell | Apr. 10, 1922 | Jun. 3, 1950 | Deceased (Apr. 26, 1988) | Father William O’Connell was accused of sexually abusing at least 23 boys from 1950 to 1985. The victims ranged in age from nine to sixteen. Most of O’Connell’s victims reported that O'Connell abused them by pressuring them to sleep in his bed and providing them alcohol. |
| William O'Neill | N/A | N/A | Living | Father William O'Neill was accused of sexually abusing two minors, a boy and a girl, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He admitted to sexually abusing the girl but denied abusing the boy. The complainants first disclosed their abuse to the Diocese in 1994 and 1995. |
| William Raiche | Jun. 20, 1908 | Jun. 12, 1932 | Deceased (Jul. 8, 1978) | Father William Raiche reportedly sexually abused at least five girls, 5-12 years old, from about 1967 until the early 1980s. All five complainants reported their abuse to the Diocese long after Father Raiche’s death in 1983. The Diocese referred only two of these allegations to law enforcement. |
| William Tanguay | Jun. 18, 1943 | Jun. 28, 1969 | Living | Between 1965 and 1987, Father William Tanguay reportedly solicited four teenagers and a young man for sex. Except for Tanguay’s first complainant, who was a student at a boarding school where Tanguay was a coach, Tanguay’s victims were all from low-income families and/or homeless. |
Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Lawsuits in the News
- On July 31, 2026, five former altar boys filed a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, alleging abuse by Rev. Armand Ventre. Ventre and the survivors attended the Church of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus in Pawtucket. The lawsuit accuses the bishop and the diocese of negligence and failing to inform the community of previous allegations against Ventre.
A new two-year window for certain previously time-barred civil claims opened in Rhode Island on July 1, prompting at least…
Rhode Island has created a limited new opportunity for some victims of childhood sexual abuse to explore civil claims that…
A monumental shift is occurring in Rhode Island for individuals impacted by childhood sexual abuse. After years of advocacy, community…
In a landmark vote, the Rhode Island House of Representatives approved a bill aimed at providing survivors of childhood sexual…
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline to file a clergy abuse claim in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island’s current statute of limitations for childhood sex abuse claims is 35 years from the time the victim reaches adulthood, meaning victims have until their 53rd birthday to file a lawsuit.
In June 2026, Senators voted to approve an amended bill that would create a two-year “revival window” for previously time-barred claims against institutions accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The bill officially passed on June 11, 2026. From July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028 survivors can file a civil lawsuit even if the statute of limitations expired.
Who can be held responsible in a clergy sexual abuse lawsuit?
You may be able to sue multiple parties in a civil child sexual abuse lawsuit, depending on the circumstances of the abuse. It may be possible to take legal action against the individual perpetrator and the institutions or organizations that enabled or covered up the abuse, including the Diocese of Providence.
How much compensation can a survivor of clergy abuse receive?
In 2019, the Diocese of Providence revealed that it had paid over $21 million in settlements to survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy members. Some clergy sex abuse cases can result in hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in compensation, but there is no guaranteed amount you can recover. Your compensation will depend on the extent, severity, and length of the abuse you endured, the lengths the Church went to cover it up, and the long-term effects the abuse had on you.
Can I remain anonymous if I file a lawsuit against the Church?
In Rhode Island, it is sometimes possible to file a sexual abuse lawsuit anonymously or under a pseudonym. To file a lawsuit anonymously, the court must grant you a request for anonymity, which is not uncommon in cases involving child sexual abuse.
Has Governor Dan McKee signed the Rhode Island clergy abuse revival bill?
Yes. Governor Dan McKee signed Rhode Island’s clergy/child-sexual-abuse claim revival legislation on June 11, 2026. The law, H-7200A / S-2616A, opened a two-year window beginning July 1, 2026 for survivors to file otherwise time-barred civil claims against institutions or supervisors alleged to have enabled or concealed child sexual abuse.
Do Rhode Island clergy abuse attorneys offer free consultations?
Yes, many attorneys handling Rhode Island clergy-abuse claims advertise free, confidential initial consultations, often on a contingency-fee basis, meaning no attorney fee is charged unless they obtain a recovery.
Is Milberg currently accepting new Rhode Island clergy abuse cases?
Yes, Milberg is currently accepting new cases.
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