Priest and Clergy Sexual Abuse in Illinois

Illinois Attorney General Releases Preliminary Report

On December 19, 2018 the Attorney General for Illinois issued “Preliminary Findings of the Investigation into Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors in Illinois.” The investigation began in August 2018 and included all six of the dioceses in Illinois (collectively the “Dioceses”):

The Preliminary Findings of the Attorney General’s investigation included the following:

  • The Dioceses acknowledged that they are aware of an additional 45 previously undisclosed clergy members whom the Dioceses deemed to be “credibly” accused of sexual abuse of children
  • The Attorney General’s review of the Dioceses’ files indicates that the Dioceses have received allegations of child sexual abuse involving approximately 690 clergy members
  • Prior to August, 2018, the Dioceses identified only 185 clergy members as having been “credibly” accused of child sexual abuse
  • “As a result, the Illinois Dioceses have received allegations of sexual abuse for more than 500 clergy that the Illinois Dioceses have not shared with the public.”

Preliminary Findings also include that: “The Illinois Dioceses often disregarded survivors’ allegations by either not investigating the allegations, or finding reasons not to substantiate the allegations.” And further that the Dioceses are failing survivors: “The Illinois Dioceses’ investigatory processes often do not realize the [Cathlic Bishops’]Charter’s goal to prioritize survivor healing, particularly when conflicts of interest are present with respect to the Dioceses’ own interest and liabilities.”

Clergy Members Credibly Accused of Abusing Children in Illinois

The following list includes current or former priests who have been sued and/or suspended following allegations of sexual abuse of minors or have claims against them in the state of Illinois. We are actively pursuing cases against Catholic priests and clergy as well as figures from 5 different Illinois dioceses.

Important note: If the name of a priest or other member of clergy you are searching for does not appear in the lists below, it does not mean that you do not have a potential claim against that individual. These lists of credibly accused individuals are always expanding as more information is brought forth to the dioceses and to authorities. Please contact us if you or a loved one has been abused by a priest or other clergy member, regardless of whether they appear in the lists below or not.

Archdiocese of Chicago130 Named Priests
Diocese of Belleville19 Named Priests
Diocese of Joliet36 Named Priests
Diocese of Peoria19 Named Priests
Diocese of Rockford9 Named Priests
Diocese of Springfield13 Named Priests

Archdiocese of Chicago

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Archiocese of Chicago, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • Lawrence A. Angel
  • Alexander Sylvester Baranowski
  • Richard Barry Bartz
  • Robert Charles Becker
  • Robert E. Beckstrom
  • Joseph R. Bennett
  • Leonard Adolph Bogdan
  • Dennis Bonebreak
  • Robert Peter Bowman
  • Kenneth M. Brigham
  • Robert Brouillette
  • Daniel Peter Buck
  • Eugene Patrick Burns
  • John Walter Calicott
  • Octavio Munoz Capetillo
  • Michael T. Carr
  • Francis C. Carroll
  • Thomas M. Chmura
  • William J. Cloutier
  • Alan S. Cobb
  • Daniel J. Collins
  • Donald Cecil Collins
  • Eugene Laurence Condon
  • Edmund Corrigan
  • Robert Craig
  • John William Curran
  • Norman J. Czajka
  • Walter George DeRoeck
  • Jeremiah C. Duggan
  • James Claver Dunn
  • William Patrick Farrell
  • Salvatore A. Ferro
  • Joseph L. Fitzharris
  • Terence Fitzmaurice
  • James Vincent Flosi
  • Robert D. Friese
  • Rigoberto Gamez-Alfonso
  • Stephen Justin Gardner
  • Jesus P. Garza
  • James Craig Hagan
  • James V Hanney
  • John Edward Hefferan
  • Gilbert Leroy Hensley
  • Juan Francisco Hinojosa
  • James Allen Hoder
  • Michael J. Hogan
  • Michael P. Hogan
  • Daniel Mark Holihan
  • James Alvarez Houlihan
  • Walter Edward Huppenbauer
  • Leonard Huske
  • Charles B. Irwin
  • Thomas Job
  • Robert Louis Kealy
  • John James Keehan
  • Thomas Francis Kelly
  • Benen Kent
  • Joseph C Kernan
  • Joseph Patrick Kissane
  • George W. Klein
  • Leonard Paul Kmak
  • Ronald Justin Lasik
  • Patrick J. Lee
  • William L. Lupo
  • Norbert J. Maday
  • Edward J. Maloney
  • Robert E. Mayer
  • Vincent McCaffrey
  • Christopher J. McCartney
  • Daniel J. McCormack
  • Robert Joseph McDonald
  • Donald J. McGuire
  • Peter John McNamara
  • Gary M. Miller
  • Donald John Mulsoff
  • Clement Adan Murphy
  • John Daniel Murphy
  • John E Murphy
  • Thomas Ignatius Murphy
  • William John O'Brien
  • Michael W. O'Connell
  • Jack O'Dell
  • Thomas O'Gorman
  • Patrick O'Leary
  • John Baptist "J.B." Ormechea
  • Donald J. O'Shaughnessy
  • Paul L. O'Toole
  • Joseph Owens
  • Frank Paduch
  • Eusebio Pantoja
  • Thomas Paramo
  • Carlos Peralta
  • Kevin Phan
  • Sleeva Raju Policetti
  • John J. Powell
  • Konstanty Przybylski
  • James M. Ray
  • Lawrence Reuter
  • Paul Reycraft
  • John Allen Robinson
  • John F. Rohrich
  • Russell Lawrence Romano
  • Kenneth Charles Ruge
  • Daniel Ryan
  • Daniel R. Schulte
  • Raymond Francis Skriba
  • John P. Smyth
  • Marion Joseph Snieg
  • Ruben Soto
  • William J. Spine
  • James R. Steel
  • Robert A. Stepek
  • Victor E. Stewart
  • Ralph S. Strand
  • Howard Strum
  • Walter Strus
  • Thomas J. Swade
  • Albert Tanghal Rimando
  • Mark E. Thedens
  • Michael Trujillo
  • Walter Joseph Turlo
  • Donald Francis Ulatowski
  • Clovis Vilchez Parra
  • Phillip Vorlick
  • Karl J. Walczak
  • Michael Howard Weston
  • Wayne E. Wigglesworth
  • Joseph Wilk
  • Louis Wojtowicz
  • Michael T. Yakaitis

Diocese of Belleville

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • James R. Calhoun
  • Robert Chlopecki
  • David G. Crook
  • Daniel L. Friedman
  • Gerald Hechenberger
  • Edwin Kastner
  • Raymond F. Kownacki
  • Albert "Gene" E. Kreher
  • Eugene G. Linnemann
  • Walter E. MacPherson
  • Louis P. Peterson
  • Jerome B. Ratermann
  • William F. Rensing
  • E. Alan Ruppert
  • Roger Schoenhofen
  • Joseph R. Schwaegel
  • Gary Sebescak
  • Francis Theis
  • Robert J. Vonnahmen

Diocese of Joliet

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • John F. Barrett
  • Richard L. Bennett
  • Andrew L. Buczyna
  • James Burnett
  • Thomas A. Corbino
  • Phillip J. Dedera
  • Arno Dennerlein
  • William Dugal, III
  • Alejandro (Alex) Flores
  • James Frederick
  • Michael L. Gibbney
  • Lawrence (Larry) M. Gibbs
  • Carroll Howlin
  • Richard E. Jacklin
  • Frederick A. Lenczycki
  • John D. Malzone
  • Kevin Michael McBrien
  • Richard J. McGrath
  • J. Anthony Meis
  • Lawrence (Larry) Mullins
  • James A. Nowak
  • Donald O'Connor
  • Donald P. Pock
  • Edward Poff
  • Anthony J. Ross
  • Richard Ruffalo
  • F. Lee Ryan
  • Jeffrey Salwach
  • Gerald Simonelli
  • Henry Slade
  • John Slown
  • David Stalzer
  • Edward Stefanich
  • William D. Virtue
  • Oliver T. Walsh
  • Myles Patrick White

Diocese of Peoria

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • John C. Anderson
  • Charles Beebe
  • Edward E. Bush
  • Terry Cassidy
  • Francis (Frank) Engels
  • Norman D. Goodman
  • William Harbert
  • George H. Hiland
  • M. Duane Leclercq
  • Thomas W. Maloney
  • Thomas R. Miller
  • John M. Onderko
  • Toussaint J. Perron
  • Jerome Pilon
  • Gregory J. Plunkett
  • Samuel D. Pusateri
  • Richard Slavish
  • John B. Turnbull (OFM)
  • Michael R. Van

Diocese of Rockford

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • Mark A. Campobello
  • Harlan B. Clapsaddle
  • Thomas Considine
  • Theodore Feely
  • James Gaynor
  • Al F. Harte
  • John C. Holdren
  • William I. Joffe
  • Peter D. Kohler

Diocese of Springfield

The following list contains Priests and Clergy from the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois have been the objects of legal settlements or otherwise credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor:

  • Joseph D. Cernich
  • Eugene E. Costa
  • Garrett Neal Dee
  • Robert DeGrand
  • Robert Dodd
  • Kevin J. Downey
  • Joseph Havey
  • Daniel Ryan (Bp)
  • Louis Schlangen
  • Francis Tebangura
  • Walter M. Weerts
  • Frank D. Westhoff
  • Stanislaus Yunker


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