RHODE ISLAND CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Representing Survivors of Child & Adult Clergy Abuse

Levy Konigsberg is investigating sexual abuse claims where priests in the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island allegedly harmed minors.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence oversees numerous parishes, schools, and charitable institutions across the state of Rhode Island. For decades, these religious settings were intended to be places of spiritual guidance and community safety; however, widespread evidence has emerged suggesting that many children were instead subjected to sexual molestation and grooming by those in positions of authority. Factual reports and internal church records indicate that various priests, deacons, and religious order members allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct while church leadership failed to protect the vulnerable. These lawsuits focus on the systemic failure of the Diocese to properly vet clergy and the alleged transfer of known offenders to new assignments without warning the public.

In addition to revealing that more than 50 priests and clergy members have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse in parishes across the state, the records also show that church officials engaged in a decades-long coverup that enabled predator priests to abuse children without consequence.

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

Internal Records Reveal Long List of Accused Clergy in Rhode Island

Like other Roman Catholic dioceses that have been forced to respond to high-profile scandals, the Diocese of Providence has taken steps to publicize the names of priests and other church members who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse.

In July 2019, the Diocese released the first iteration of its list of credibly accused priests. That list, which was released on the same day that legislation was passed to extend the statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases, includes allegations dating back to 1950 against priests and clergy members who served as parishes, schools, and other locations across the state.

As of 2023, the Providence Diocese’s list of credibly accused priests includes 55 names broken down into several categories. These include:

• Credibly accused living clergy – 13
• Credibly accused living deacons – 1
• Credibly accused living non-diocesan clergy – 1
• Credibly accused deceased clergy – 33
• Credibly accused deceased religious order priests – 4
• Credibly accused deceased deacons – 1
• Publicly accused deceased clergy – 2

Notably, this list has its limitations. In addition to leaving out critical information about when and where abuse took place, the list includes only the names of priests who have faced accusations which meet the Church’s definition of a “substantiated allegation.” As such, they leave out many priests and clerics who have been accused of abusing minors in Rhode Island over the years.

Diocesan Settlements

• In March 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly acknowledged that it paid more than $21 million in its attempts to resolve over 130 clergy sex abuse claims involving priests and church members in parishes and church-run schools throughout the state.
• In August 2008, the Providence Diocese agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle claims brought by four survivors who were sexually abused by priests when they were children.
• In September 2002, the Providence Diocese agreed to pay $13.5 million to 36 survivors who were sexually abused as minors by members of the Catholic Church. The claims involved allegations against 11 priests and a nun.

Legal Filings Detail Dark History of Sexual Abuse in Rhode Island Catholic Churches

In addition to lists of credibly accused priests released by Rhode Island’s Providence Diocese, various legal filings, criminal cases, and high-profile settlements have revealed alarming claims about the scope of child sexual abuse within Rhode Island Catholic Churches and how Church officials failed for decades to report abusive priests and protect victims. Some examples include:

• In July 2026, 34 lawsuits were filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and churches across Rhode Island under a new two-year revival window allowing previously expired claims. The revival window closes June 30, 2028.

• In March 2026, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha released a report following a multiyear investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island. The report alleged that 75 clergy members in Rhode Island molested more than 300 victims since 1950, though officials said the true number of victims and abusive priests was likely higher. Church leaders allegedly transferred accused priests to new assignments without fully investigating complaints or contacting law enforcement.

Father Barry Meehan

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report, Father Barry Meehan allegedly groomed and sexually abused at least four teenage boys and one young man between 1983 and the mid-2000s while serving at parishes in West Warwick, Cranston, and Providence. 

The Diocese received its first complaint in 1998.

• In November 2014, Meehan was arrested and charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a boy over 14 years old between April 1986 and January 1991 while assigned to St. Mary Parish in Cranston, and sexually assaulting another boy between January 1991 and August 1992 while assigned to St. Augustine Parish in Providence. 

Father Biagio Samuel Turillo

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Biagio Samuel Turillo was accused of sexually abusing at least two boys in the 1950s.

The Diocese first learned of allegations against Turillo in 1952 or 1953 but did not remove him from ministry. It did not report any allegation against Turillo to law enforcement until 2016.

• In 1962, the Barrington Police Chief informed Bishop McVinney that Turillo was accused of sexual misconduct involving an adult male while at Holy Angels.
• Between 1956 and 1958, an 11-year-old boy was allegedly molested by Turillo at the Maple Avenue School in Barrington, located across the street from Holy Angels Church, where Turillo was assigned.
• In March 1953, Turillo was accused of sexual misconduct involving several young boys at Sacred Heart parish.
• In January 1952, a boy was allegedly inappropriately touched and kissed by Turillo at a Catholic Youth Organization basketball game at West Warwick Junior High School.

Father John Gerard Brendan Smyth

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Brendan Smyth allegedly sexually abused 17 children — both boys and girls, some as young as 7 years old — between 1965 and 1968 while assigned to Our Lady of Mercy Church in East Greenwich.

The Diocese received its first complaint against Smyth in 1967.

• In June 1994, Smyth pleaded guilty in a British court to sexually abusing five girls and two boys in Northern Ireland, and pleaded guilty to 26 additional charges in 1995.

In March 1997, he was extradited to Ireland to face 74 charges of child sexual abuse involving seven boys and thirteen girls between 1958 and 1993. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced in July 1997.

• Between 1965 and 1968, Smyth allegedly abused multiple altar servers, including three brothers by forcing his hands down their pants, and groping them.

One altar boy was allegedly abused on more than 30 occasions beginning at age 10.

A 7-year-old girl was allegedly digitally raped at the school, the church, her family home, and in the woods. Her younger sister was allegedly abused in a similar manner.

A girl was allegedly abused beginning at age 11 at her family home, and later assaulted at age 12 at the parish rectory.

A girl was allegedly abused approximately a dozen times while in the fourth and fifth grades.

A third-grade girl was allegedly assaulted at Smyth’s office.

A girl between the ages of 8 and 10 was allegedly held upside down by her ankles with her underwear exposed to boys.

A boy was allegedly abused in the janitor’s room and a secluded area of the school cafeteria.

A second-grade boy was allegedly abused at Our Lady of Mercy School in 1967 and 1968.

Another boy was allegedly abused at the school and church between the ages of 8 and 11.

In June 2008, two of the victims sued the Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence for negligence.

Father Dennis Brodeur

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Dennis Brodeur allegedly sexually abused a teenage boy on multiple occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s while serving as assistant pastor at St. Jude’s Parish in Lincoln, Rhode Island. 

The alleged abuse occurred when the boy was 13 to 14 years old, with Brodeur allegedly entering his bedroom at night and engaging in repeated acts of sexual abuse including masturbation and oral sex. 

Brodeur was named publicly as credibly accused by the Diocese of Providence on July 1, 2019.

Father Edmund Fitzgerald

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Edmund Fitzgerald allegedly sexually abused at least eight children from the 1950s to 1980s, primarily at St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church in Pawtucket and St. Mary of the Bay Church in Warren. 
• In November 2019, a survivor who was abused by Fitzgerald as a boy at St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church in Pawtucket spoke publicly. His brother also disclosed that Fitzgerald had abused him as a boy.
• In July 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly named Fitzgerald on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy. 

Father Edward Kelley

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report, Father Edward Kelley allegedly sexually abused three children. 

The Diocese was first notified of Kelley’s abuse in1987.

In 1994, the Diocese and East Providence Police received a report that Kelley repeatedly raped a boy for over six years beginning in 1976 when the boy was 14 years old.

• In May 2021, Kelley was arrested and indicted for allegedly sexually abusing a boy who lived in the rectories with him in 1983 in North Smithfield. 
• In 2015, while serving in South Carolina, Kelley was removed from ministry by the Diocese of Charleston for allegedly engaging in a relationship with an adult woman. 

Father Eugene Corbesero

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Eugene Corbesero allegedly attempted to sexually abuse a 9- or 10-year-old altar boy at St. Lawrence Church in North Providence, Rhode Island between 1976 and 1978.

Corbesero was also accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in North Carolina between 1973 and 1975. 

In August 2006, a family reported that Corbesero molested a 12-year-old boy at a sleepover at his New Jersey home.

In October 2007, Corbesero pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child in New Jersey and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Father Francis Santilli

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Francis Santilli allegedly sexually abused multiple altar boys, ages 7 to 12, in the early 1980s at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Providence and St. Charles Borromeo Church in Woonsocket.

Santilli allegedly abused the victims by touching their genitals over and under their clothing and pressing his genitals against them.

Despite the multiple allegations, Santilli remained in ministry until 2022.

• In 1980, two brothers between the ages of 7 and 9 were allegedly repeatedly sexually abused by Santilli at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Providence, in the church sacristy, the rectory basement, and a stairwell in the church.
• Between 1980 and 1981, two altar servers were allegedly sexually abused by Santili. 

A 10-year-old altar boy was allegedly sexually abused in the rectory of Our Lady of Lourdes Church while Santilli was assigned there as a deacon.

A 12-year-old altar server was allegedly sexually abused roughly 30 times at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Woonsocket.

Father James Campbell

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father James Campbell allegedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy on multiple occasions between 1975 and 1976 in the rectory of St. Joseph Church in West Warwick, at a hotel in Narragansett, and at a hotel in Ohio. The alleged abuse included physical touching and digital penetration.

A second victim alleged Campbell repeatedly abused him for two years starting when he was 16 years old in 1973, during a trip to Ohio where he gave him alcohol and then digitally and anally raped him.

In December 2004, Campbell was convicted in Massachusetts of molesting two children and was sentenced to 90 days in prison and 10 years of supervised probation. He was required to register as a sex offender and was laicized by the Vatican.

Rev. James W. Jackson

• In June 2023, Father James W. Jackson pleaded guilty to federal charges of child pornography possession after a computer and digital device located in St. Mary Church in Providence was flagged by law enforcement.
• In December 2023, former Rhode Island priest Rev. James W. Jackson was sentenced to six years in federal prison for downloading and storing thousands of images of child sexual abuse. The investigation, initiated in September 2021, revealed over 12,000 images and 1,300 videos of child sexual abuse on devices traced back to the rectory at St. Mary’s Church where Jackson served.

Father James Silva

• In November 2021, a Rhode Island grand jury returned an 11-count indictment charging former priest James Silva of sexually assaulting a minor male victim between 1989 and 1990. Silva served as interim director and assistant director at the Office of Ministerial Formation within the Providence Diocese from 1986 until 1991.

Monsignor John Allard

• In 1981, Monsignor John Allard of Immaculate Conception Church in Cranston allegedly groomed and sexually abused a child. Although the abuse was found credible, he was not dismissed by the Vatican.

Father John Crafton

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father John Crafton allegedly sexually abused a young girl for six or seven years beginning when she was approximately five years old during the 1960s, while residing at the Columban Seminary in Bristol, Rhode Island. The alleged abuse involved religious rituals that Crafton filmed.

The complainant reported the abuse to the Diocese of Providence in 1994 and again in 2006, and filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island Superior Court against the Columban Order. No record of a settlement was found in Diocesan files.

Father Crafton died in 1989 and is listed on the Missionary Society of St. Columban’s list of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor.

Father John Feeney

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father John Feeney allegedly sexually assaulted two teenage boys at a beach house in Narragansett, Rhode Island, in 1965.

The beach house belonged to Father William O’Connell, who was later convicted of child sexual abuse.

The alleged abuse involved fondling, penetration, and alcohol.

The Diocese allegedly did not report the allegations against Feeney to the police.

Father John Ferry

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father John Ferry allegedly sexually abused four boys and a young man between the ages of 14 and 18 during the 1960s while serving in various roles in Rhode Island. 

Ferry allegedly plied the victims with alcohol before the abuse. 

• In July 2026, a lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Providence under the two-year revival window, alleging that Ferry sexually abused a 14-year-old student at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in 1964. He allegedly manipulated the victim to strip and sexually assaulted him.
• In November 2013, a victim publicly spoke out about being drugged and sexually assaulted by Ferry in the late 1960s while working as a high school student at The Providence Visitor, the diocesan newspaper where Ferry served as editor.

Father John Petrocelli

• In March 2026, it was reported that Father John Petrocelli was among four priests charged with child molestation as a result of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s investigation into the Diocese of Providence. 
• In November 2020, Petrocelli was indicted on multiple counts of child molestation for allegedly sexually abusing three minors while he served as assistant pastor at Holy Family Church in Woonsocket, Rhode Island between 1981 and 1990. 
• In 2008, the Diocese reached a $1.326 million settlement which included Petrocelli’s case. He was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy in the late 1980s. 

Kevin Fisette

• In June 2022, Kevin Fisette was charged with first-degree sexual assault for sexually abusing a young boy between 1981 and 1982 while serving as a deacon at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Hopkinton and as a chaplain at Rhode Island Hospital. Fisette served at numerous Rhode Island parishes from 1981 to 2009, when he was removed from ministry.

Deacon Laurence Gagnon

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Deacon Laurence Gagnon allegedly sexually abused at least six boys while serving as a permanent deacon and teacher at St. Joseph Parish School in West Warwick, Rhode Island. 

In August 2011, Gagnon was arrested for child molestation.

In April 2013, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with one year to serve and the remainder suspended with probation. He was ordered to register as a Level 3 sex offender. He confessed to fondling three boys.

Monsignor Louis Dunn

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report, Monsignor Louis Dunn allegedly sexually abused at least five girls and young women. 

The Diocese was first notified of the abuse in 1967 when a man alleged his daughter was sexually abused by Dunn. 

At least one of his alleged victims became pregnant — one child was given up for adoption in California in 1967. He allegedly paid for another victim to have an abortion.

• In 1997, he was criminally tried on two separate rape allegations. He was convicted in the second case of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman in June 1982.

In December 1999, Dunn was sentenced to 10 years in prison. 

At least two more civil lawsuits were filed following his conviction. 

In 2002, the Diocese settled claims involving Dunn as part of a broader settlement. 

In October 2008, a survivor who had refused a $400,000 settlement from the Diocese petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate her lawsuit. She was one of the 38 victims in the 2002 mass settlement.

Father Michael LaMountain

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Michael LaMountain allegedly sexually abused at least 12 boys and young men during his priestly career, spanning from his seminary years in the 1970s through the 1990s. 

The alleged abuse occurred primarily at his Spring Lake cottage in Burrillville and the rectory of St. John the Baptist Church in West Warwick, and included fondling, oral sex, and rape. 

Despite receiving the first documented complaint in February 1989, the Diocese repeatedly failed to restrict LaMountain’s ministry or report allegations to law enforcement, allowing the abuse to continue for years. 

• In July 2026, a victim filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island alleging LaMountain sexually abused him.
• In September 2002, claims against LaMountain were settled as part of a $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims and the Diocese of Providence.
• In August 2002, LaMountain was named by the Archdiocese of Baltimore as one of six priests who allegedly abused students at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. 

An individual alleged LaMountain abused a 14-year-old boy at Most Precious Blood Parish in Baltimore in 1973 while LaMountain was a seminarian.

• In January 1999, LaMountain pleaded guilty to nine felony counts relating to the sexual assault of five adolescent boys between the 1970s and early 1990s. He was required to register as a sex offender. 
• In October 1997, LaMountain was indicted on sexual assault charges. At least two civil suits were filed in December 1995. 

Father Oscar Ferland

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Oscar Ferland allegedly sexually abused multiple children — girls and at least one boy — between 1964 and 1991 across multiple parishes in the Diocese of Providence.

The Diocese allegedly did not report any allegations against Ferland to police.

• In 2018, it was reported to the Diocese that Ferland allegedly raped an 8- or 9-year-old student of St. Michael Church in Providence.

In 2017, it was reported that Ferland allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at St. Luke School in Barrington in 1983 and 1984. She reported the abuse to the school principal at the time but she was threatened with expulsion.

In 2007, it was reported to the Diocese that Ferland allegedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old student of St. Luke School in Barrington in the 1980s. Ferland also allegedly sexually assaulted other girls.

In 2006, it was reported to the Diocese that Ferland allegedly inappropriately touched girls in the early 1990s. Ferland allegedly did not deny the allegations when confronted by one of the victims’ fathers. He allegedly informed Father McManus — later Auxiliary Bishop — of Ferland’s behavior, but he did not get a response.

In 2002, it was reported to the Diocese that Ferland allegedly watched a 10-year-old girl use the toilet at St. Joseph’s Church in Hope Valley in 1994. 

Father Paul Charland

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Paul Charland allegedly sexually abused a 15-year-old student at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket in 1980 or 1981 while serving as a guidance counselor and Catholic Youth Organization teacher. The alleged abuse involved fondling and kissing, and the victim reported witnessing Charland do the same to her friend.

The Diocese was aware of the conduct as early as January 1982, when a priest informed Bishop Angell that Charland’s behavior had covered ten years and that Charland could not deny kissing the student. 

Despite this, Charland was sent to a treatment center in Massachusetts and returned to active ministry in 1983.

• In July 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly named Charland on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy.
• In May 2011, an adult woman alleged sexual assault by Charland, prompting the Diocese to remove him from public ministry in August 2011. He was allowed to retire as a senior priest. None of the allegations against Charland were ever forwarded to the Vatican, and in 2016 it was revealed that Bishop Tobin had instructed his chancellor not to forward the initial allegation. In 1992, parishioners at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Foster wrote to the Diocese expressing concerns about Charland’s behavior with children. The Diocese kept him in ministry.
• In 2003, a second victim reported that Charland allegedly groped and kissed her during a boating outing in July 1999, when she was 15 years old. 

Father Paul Henry Leech

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Paul Henry Leech allegedly sexually abused six children between 1979 and 1984 while serving at parishes in Greenville, Woonsocket, and Lincoln. 

The alleged abuse included fondling, oral sex, and sodomy and occurred at victims’ homes and at the rectories of St. Joseph Church in Woonsocket and St. Jude Church in Lincoln. 

In 1984, Leech admitted to the parents of four of his victims that he had been sexually abusing their children.

• In October 1985, Leech was sentenced to three years for sexual assault charges. 
• In 2014 and 2020, two more victims reported to the Diocese that Leech had sexually abused them — one in 1979 and one in the summer of 1984. 

Father Paul Reynolds

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Paul Reynolds allegedly sexually abused multiple altar boys while serving at St. Lawrence Parish in North Providence in the 1970s. 

In 1974, Reynolds allegedly touched a nine-year-old boy’s lips with his penis. In 1976 or 1977, Reynolds allegedly constantly groped and forced an eight- or nine-year old to perform oral sex. Both victims sued the Diocese.

In 1975, he allegedly attempted to pull down a ten-year-old boy’s pants. Reynolds was kept in ministry despite this report.

Brother Peter Barnes

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Brother Peter Barnes allegedly sexually abused two minors in Rhode Island.

In 2002, a woman reported to the Diocese of Providence that Barnes allegedly raped her in her home in East Providence in 1963, when she was 17 years old. One of her sisters alleged witnessing the assault. 

In April 2019, a second victim reported that Barnes allegedly sexually assaulted him when he was 10 years old in the 1950s. Barnes allegedly fondled his genitals and masturbated him.

Father Peter Scagnelli

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s (AG) Appendix A report, Father Peter Scagnelli allegedly sexually abused six boys and two young men between 1977 and 1994, and allegedly groomed a teenage boy in 2000.

The alleged abuse included forced oral sex and rape.

Victims were allegedly targeted across multiple parish assignments throughout Rhode Island.

In 2005, one of Scagnelli’s alleged sexual abuse victims received a settlement. According to the AG report, the case could have been prosecuted had the Diocese reported the allegations to law enforcement.

In 1993, the Diocese received its first formal complaint against Scagnelli.

The Diocese did not refer any allegations against him to the police. 

Father Peter L. Tedeschi

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Peter Tedeschi allegedly repeatedly sexually abused a girl, while assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls. 

In March 2019, the victim testified publicly before the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee in support of legislation to extend the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits, identifying Tedeschi for the first time. 

In July 2019, the victim spoke publicly about the Diocese’s 2019 list of credibly accused clergy which only listed Tedeschi as “publicly accused.”

Father Philip Magaldi

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Philip Magaldi allegedly groomed and sexually abused nine boys.

The Diocese of Providence received its first complaint against Magaldi in November 1998 but never referred the allegations to law enforcement.

• In 2007, a 19-year-old man in Texas alleged that Magaldi raped him.
• Between 1995 and 1997, a college student was allegedly sexually exploited by Magaldi in Texas.

In 1997, the Diocese of Fort Worth found Magaldi guilty of sexual exploitation but allegedly kept him in ministry and did not inform the Diocese of Providence.

• Between the late 1970s and the late 1980s, at least four boys as young as 9 years old were allegedly sexually abused by Magaldi while he was assigned to St. Anthony Church in North Providence.

In September 2019, a lawsuit was filed in Rhode Island Superior Court alleging that Magaldi sexually abused a boy between 100 and 300 times from ages 12 to 17, between 1979 and 1983, while he was pastor of St. Anthony Church.

A 9-year-old was allegedly assaulted at Wanskuck Park in Providence and inside the St. Anthony rectory in the presence of other children between 1983 and 1984.

A fourth boy was allegedly abused for several years from the mid-to-late 1980s, with the abuse progressing to at least 15 instances of oral sex.

• Between 1973 and 1984, a boy was allegedly sexually abused by Magaldi for approximately ten years, beginning when he was 15 years old.
• Between 1965 and 1968, at least four boys were allegedly sexually abused by Magaldi at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Providence, including an altar server, a 7-year-old boy who was allegedly abused over a period of several years, and two other boys.

Brother Raphael Edes

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Brother Raphael Edes allegedly sexually abused at least three students.

In 1994, the Diocese of Providence received an allegation that Edes sexually abused a St. Raphael’s student between 1986 and 1990. In 2000, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against Edes, St. Raphael Academy, former principal, and the Christian Brothers. This case was settled.

In 2018, a second former St. Raphael’s student reported that Edes allegedly sexually assaulted him when he was a senior in 1986. 

In 2020, Edes was named in a lawsuit filed under the New York Child Victims Act, alleging he sexually abused a minor at LaSalle Military Academy in Oakdale, New York between 1965 and 1967. 

In 2025, Edes admitted to police that he engaged in sexual acts with all three victims — two St. Raphael students and one at LaSalle Military Academy in Long Island, New York.

Father Richard Holden

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Richard Holden allegedly sexually abused five boys primarily while assigned to St. Vincent De Paul Parish in Coventry and St. Aloysius Parish in Woonsocket from 1971 to 1985. 

The alleged abuse included grooming and oral sex. 

Father Richard Meglio

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Richard Meglio allegedly sexually abused at least three boys between approximately 1972 and 1986 across multiple locations in Rhode Island, including Butler Hospital in Providence, Our Lady of Grace Parish in Johnston, St. Mark’s Parish in Cranston, and a private beach house in Snug Harbor.

The Diocese allegedly did not report allegations against Meglio to law enforcement.

• In June 1994, a civil lawsuit was filed against Father Meglio, Bishop Gelineau, Auxiliary Bishop Angell, the Church of Our Lady of Grace, Butler Hospital, and others. According to the lawsuit, Meglio allegedly repeatedly transported a 12-year-old patient from Butler Hospital to the church and rectory, where he sexually abused him. The pastor at Our Lady of Grace allegedly knew of the abuse but failed to report it. Bishop Gelineau and Auxiliary Bishop Angell were allegedly aware that Meglio had a pattern of making sexual advances on young boys. In 2003, the Diocese settled the case for $500,000.

In March 2000, it was reported to the Diocese that Meglio allegedly repeatedly abused a 16-year-old boy in 1977.

In January 2009, it was reported that Meglio allegedly abused a boy hundreds of times between 1983 and 1986, when he was between 13 and 16 years old.

Father Robert Marcantonio

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Robert Marcantonio was accused of sexually abusing at least 17 boys, with victims as young as 8 years old.

The Diocese received its first documented report in May 1970 but allegedly never referred any allegation against him to law enforcement prior to his death.

• According to Diocesan records, the Diocese paid approximately $2.7 million to settle claims against Marcantonio. 

In August 2008, the Diocese paid a $1.3 million settlement covering four abuse victims, one of whom was allegedly abused by Marcantonio.

• Between 1975 and 1986, three brothers between the ages of 12 and 19 were allegedly repeatedly sexually abused by Marcantonio while he served as a weekend assistant at St. John Vianney Church in Cumberland.

The alleged abuse involved forced oral sex, pornographic material, and anal sex, and occurred in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Ontario, Canada.

Between 1976 and 1983, another victim was allegedly repeatedly abused from age 8 to 14, at the same parish.

• Between 1971 and 1975, at least three boys were allegedly sexually abused by Marcantonio in Ames, Iowa.

One altar boy was allegedly raped at least 20 times between 1973 and 1975, beginning when he was 13.

Two others alleged abuse at St. Cecilia Church between 1971 and 1974, including oral and anal sexual contact and exposure to pornographic material.

• During the 1960s, at least seven boys between the ages of 8 and 15 were allegedly repeatedly sexually abused by Marcantonio at St. Mary’s Church and School in Cranston, including inside the parish rectory.

One complainant alleged that Marcantonio anally raped him at the rectory.

Marcantonio allegedly exposed himself to a third-grade boy.

Father Robert Carpentier

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Robert Carpentier allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old boy between 1973 and 1974 while serving as pastor at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Woonsocket, using his position of trust with the boy’s family to groom him before engaging in fondling, masturbation, and oral sex. The abuse continued for over a year and included out-of-state trips.

In April 1992, when the victim’s family reported the abuse to the Diocese, Carpentier admitted to the abuse. In October 1992, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against him and the Diocese.

Despite the admission, there is no record that the Diocese notified law enforcement at the time. Carpentier was sent to a treatment center in Connecticut and later went on sabbatical at Boston College, continuing to receive financial support from the Diocese.

• In 2020, a second man reported to the Diocese that Carpentier sexually abused him as a young boy during the time Carpentier was assigned to St. Agatha’s Church in Woonsocket between 1969 and 1973.
• In September 2002, claims against Carpentier were settled as part of a $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims of priest abuse in the Diocese of Providence.

Father Robert McIntyre

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Robert McIntyre allegedly sexually abused at least 11 children during his 23-year assignment at St. Aloysius Home. 

The alleged abuse included oral sex, rape, possession of child pornography, and forcing children to sexually abuse each other. 

The Diocese received multiple complaints naming McIntyre between 1993 and 2021, but allegedly failed to adequately investigate or report the allegations to law enforcement.

• In July 2026, a lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Providence and St. Aloysius Home under the two-year revival window, alleging that McIntyre repeatedly sexually abused a former resident in the 1980s. 

• In June 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly named McIntyre on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy, following a review of diocesan files dating back to 1950.
• In July 1999, a civil trial was held in Providence Superior Court in which a former St. Aloysius resident sued McIntyre, the Diocese, and the State for alleged sexual abuse by staff members. 
• In 1992 and 1993, at least two civil lawsuits were filed naming McIntyre as responsible for covering up abuse at St. Aloysius Home and conspiring to prevent proper reporting procedures.

Following the closure of St. Aloysius Home, McIntyre went on to work in human services positions in Massachusetts, including as Director of Residential Services overseeing 10 sites for at-risk children and youth — positions the Diocese allegedly did not alert his employers about despite the known abuse allegations against him.

Father Roland Lepire

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Roland Lepire allegedly sexually abused at least six boys between the ages of 8 and 14 across parish assignments in Woonsocket, Cranston, and Central Falls between 1975 and 1980. The alleged abuse included wrestling and tickling victims before fondling their genitals, and in at least one case forcing oral sex on a victim.

In 1979, when a mother reported her son’s alleged abuse to police, then-Bishop Gelinea allegedly transferred Lepire to another parish rather than take further action. Lepire was transferred but allegedly continued to abuse children at his new assignments.

In 1996, Lepire admitted during a psychiatric evaluation that he had sexually abused boys.

In 2003, he admitted in a letter to the Pope that he had inappropriately touched several twelve-year-old boys since his ordination.

• In July 2026, a federal complaint was filed against the Diocese of Providence and St. Matthew Church in Central Falls alleging that Lepire sexually abused a boy when he was 10 or 11 years old in 1980 or 1981. 

A separate lawsuit filed the same day alleged Lepire abused a 15-year-old in his office in 1983.

• In July 2019, the Diocese of Providence publicly named Lepire on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy. He was removed from ministry in February 1996 and was laicized in 2004.
• In August 2008, a second lawsuit filed in 2003 alleging abuse in the early 1980s by priests including Lepire was settled as part of a $1.326 million Diocese settlement.
• In September 2002, claims against Lepire were settled as part of a $13.5 million mass settlement involving 36 victims of priest abuse in the Diocese of Providence.
• In February 1996, a former victim filed a lawsuit against Lepire.

Father Vincent Cavanaugh

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Brother Vincent Cavanaugh allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old boy and his 11-year-old brother on multiple occasions in the summer of 1956, while taking them swimming at a state park and a private waterfront home in Rhode Island. Cavanaugh allegedly reached into the boys’ shorts and touched their genitals, and had them do the same to him.

The complainant reported the abuse to the Diocese in October 2004. The Diocese closed the matter without referring it to law enforcement.

Father William Tanguay

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father William Tanguay allegedly solicited four teenagers and a young man for sex between 1965 and 1987, targeting victims who were homeless or from poor families.

The alleged abuse involved oral sex, physical abuse, drugs, and alcohol. 

He admitted to having sex with a young man in his rectory in the 1970s.

The Diocese did not refer any allegations against Tanguay to law enforcement.

• In 2005, one of Tanguay’s alleged sexual abuse victims in Providence received a settlement.

Father William O’Connell

• According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father William O’Connell allegedly sexually abused at least 23 boys between the ages of nine and sixteen from 1950 to 1985, primarily at St. Mary Church in Bristol and at his residence in South Kingstown. 

He allegedly pressured victims to sleep in his bed and provided them alcohol, and on at least three occasions allegedly abused victims together with other priests.

In February 1985, two complainants reported the abuse to the police, leading to O’Connell’s arrest. He was indicted in connection with the abuse of three victims. 

In June 1986, he pleaded no contest to multiple counts of sexual assault and related charges and was sentenced to prison. 

• In July 1994, O’Connell was arrested in New Jersey after police found thousands of photographs of naked boys at his home. He was charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse, obscenity, and child endangerment, and pleaded guilty to sexual assault and making child pornography.

In 1993 and 1994, lawsuits alleging O’Connell’s sexual abuse of boys between 1965 and 1972 were settled. Additional settlements were reached in 2002 and 2003.

LK Investigating Sexual Abuse by Rhode Island Clergy

Our firm is investigating allegations of clergy sexual abuse in Rhode Island, including cases involving the following individuals:

• Barry Meehan
• Biagio Samuel Turillo
• Brendan Smyth
• Dennis Brodeur
• Edmund Fitzgerald
• Edward Kelley
• Eugene Corbesero
• Francis Santilli
• James Campbell
• John Crafton
• John Feeney
• John Ferry
• John Petrocelli
• Laurence Gagnon
• Louis Dunn
• Michael LaMountain
• Oscar Ferland
• Paul Charland
• Paul Henry Leech
• Paul Reynolds
• Peter Barnes
• Peter Scagnelli
• Peter Tedeschi
• Philip Magaldi
• Raphael Edes
• Richard Holden
• Richard Meglio
• Robert Marcantonio
• Robert Carpentier
• Robert McIntyre
• Roland Lepire
• Vincent Cavanaugh
• William Tanguay
• William O’Connell

• St. Aloysius Home

Do I Have A Case?

You may have a sexual abuse claim against the Catholic Church if:

• You were sexually abused as a minor or an adult within the Church.
• The abuser was a priest, clergy member, or some other Church volunteer or employee.
• Your abuse occurred at any time in the past.

As with civil sexual abuse cases, claims filed with the bankruptcy settlement fund are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse. Instead, they focus on holding the Archdiocese liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged or convicted of a crime.

Determining whether you have grounds to pursue a claim can be challenging, which is why our team at Levy Konigsberg is readily available to help.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Rhode Island Sexual Abuse Attorneys