DUBUQUE (IA)
KCRG-TV [Cedar Rapids IA]
April 29, 2024
By Mollie Swayne
Michael Riley is defending his brother Leo Riley, a former Dubuque priest charged in sexual abuse cases dating back to the 1980s.
Last week, Father Leo Riley, who served in the Dubuque Diocese from 1984 to 1986, was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse for incidents that the victims allege happened during that time.
Leo Riley is accused by four Iowa men, who say the abuse happened back in the 1980s when they were altar boys, as well as one man in Florida. This fifth man alleges abuse happened after Riley transferred to the state in the early 2000s.
The first allegation of abuse didn’t surface until 2014. The Catholic Church’s investigation at the time found the allegation was likely not true. The Dubuque County Attorney’s Office didn’t charge Riley then because the statute of limitations had expired by then.
In 2021, Iowa passed a law eliminating the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors.
Last year more allegations surfaced, leading to the charges this spring.
Despite the allegations, Michael Riley said he is “steadfast” in the belief in his brother’s innocence. TV9 asked if he ever had a moment of doubt. “Never,” he said. “Never.”
“People can say things. That doesn’t mean it’s true,” he said.
TV9 asked Michael why he was so confident that his brother was innocent of the charges he’s facing. He said, that when the first allegation surfaced in 2014, his brother passed a lie detector test. He did not have a record of or results from that test to share on Monday.
He also said his brother didn’t fit the profile of an abuser and that at least one alleged victim’s story didn’t add up. The accuser from Florida, who is going by John Doe, claims he was already being sexually abused by a music teacher, and when he went to Riley for help, Riley began abusing him as well.
“This teacher wasn’t even employed by the school district during the time that this individual attended school. It’s just—it defies common sense,” said Michael Riley.
TV9 reached out to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte, Florida to ask the dates of employment for that teacher, Alan Klispie. Monday evening we had not yet gotten a response.
“The perspectives I shared today are more substantive than anything I’ve read in the newspaper, or in terms of the allegations that have been made,” said Michael Riley.
For Michael, the story is simple: the man accused is his brother, and Michael sees it as his job to defend him.
“Whenever you see a loved one suffering, it’s painful.”
Monday, Leo Riley bonded out of jail in Florida, where he moved to from Iowa in the early 2000s.
One of the conditions of his release on bond is that he must return to Iowa to face charges.