WARREN (OH)
WFMJ-NBC/CW-21 [Youngstown OH]
August 18, 2026
By Mike Gauntner, Online Content Manager
Editor’s Note: The following article includes graphic elements that some may find disturbing.
A Valley priest has pleaded not guilty to charges filed after he was allegedly seen engaging in a sexual act with a registered sex offender in Warren’s Perkins Park.
Seventy-five-year-old Monsignor Anthony Spinosa, who has been the rector of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in North Jackson since 2002, was booked into the Trumbull County Jail on August 13 and arraigned the following day in Warren Municipal Court on charges of public indecency and procuring.
Spinosa is a Chorbishop with the Maronite Catholic Church, which, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, is a senior priest elevated to a rank just below a full diocesan bishop.
Monsignor Spinosa, was charged several days after a couple walking their dog in Perkins Park on July 31 told police that they spotted 54-year-old Kenneth Kopp of Southington on his knees, performing a sex act on Spinosa, who the witnesses say was smoking a cigar at the time.
The couple claims that one of the men invited them to join the two men and told the couple they could watch the two in exchange for money.
According to the police report, the alleged incident took place “in broad daylight” about 100 yards from a playground where children were playing.
When police arrived, they said they found Kopp in a Honda Civic parked next to a black rug and a pair of pink boots on the ground. Kopp was wearing black boxers at the time, according to police.
Officers reported finding several wigs in the car, along with simulated women’s breasts made of silicone, a pair of red, rubberized handcuffs, and three pipes that police say are commonly used to smoke methamphetamine.
Kopp told police nothing was going on, and that he believed the couple reported him only because he dressed up. The report notes that Kopp is a Tier 3 sex offender.
Police said Msgr. Spinosa was also in the park, seated in a black SUV while smoking a cigar. Spinosa told officers that he wasn’t with Kopp and didn’t know him.
One of the witnesses was adamant, claiming that he saw Kopp performing sex on Spinosa, according to police.
Kopp was booked into the county jail. Police told Msgr. Spinosa that he was free to leave.
Appearing via video for arraignment a few days later, Kopp pleaded “not guilty” to public indecency and drug paraphernalia charges. He appeared in court on Monday and is scheduled for another hearing on September 14.
The city prosecutor issued a warrant for Spinosa’s arrest on August 3.
Spinosa waived his right to a speedy legal process and is scheduled to appear before a judge on September 14 for another hearing. His defense attorney, Jeffery Goodman, has asked the court to order prosecutors to provide their evidence, including any video that may be available.
Msgr. Spinosa is free on a $2,000 bond, which includes a condition that he stay away from Perkins Park.
Court documents list Spinosa’s address as 2759 North Lipkey Road, North Jackson, which is the same address as the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, a church under the jurisdiction of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon based in St. Louis, Missouri.
As of Tuesday, the shrine’s website included a photo of the May 21st, 2023, celebration of the 40th anniversary of Spinosa’s ordination.
According to Ohio Secretary of State records, Msgr. Spinosa has been registered as a clergy member in the state since 2004.
Kopp was convicted of raping a juvenile female in 2011.
He was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of rape.
As a Tier Three sex offender, Kopp is required to verify his address with authorities every three months for the rest of his life.
Although the police report lists Kopp with a Southington address, the online sex offender registry states that he resides on South Turner Road in Austintown.