Father Eugene Corbesero is one of 75 clergy members named in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on child sexual abuse within the Diocese of Providence. Corbesero was a religious order priest of the Consolata Society for Foreign Missions who served at St. Lawrence Church in North Providence from 1976 to 1977. He was not included on the Diocese’s credibly accused list, but was on the lists for the Diocese of Charlotte and the Archdiocese of Hartford. If you or someone you love was harmed by Father Corbesero, you are not alone, and what happened was not your fault. Rhode Island law now gives survivors a real path forward, and the attorneys at Sommers Schwartz are here to walk that path with you.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Father Eugene Corbesero and Where Did He Serve?
• What Allegations Were Made Against Father Corbesero?
• How the Diocese of Providence Failed to Protect Children From Corbesero
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law (H-7200A/S-2616A) and What It Means for Corbesero Survivors
• Your Legal Rights as a Survivor of Father Corbesero’s Abuse
• How Sommers Schwartz Can Help Survivors of Father Corbesero
• FAQs About Father Corbesero and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Who Was Father Eugene Corbesero and Where Did He Serve?

Father Eugene Corbesero was born on April 27, 1933, and was ordained on February 9, 1962. He was laicized on November 25, 1983, and died in 2016. His connection to Rhode Island is direct and documented. Corbesero was a religious order priest of the Consolata Society for Foreign Missions who served at St. Lawrence Church in North Providence.

His assignment record shows a pattern of movement across multiple states and dioceses. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, Corbesero’s partial assignment history included service in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1962, followed by work with the Consolata Society in Somerset, New Jersey from 1963 to 1971. He later served in the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut, and then in North Carolina from 1973 to 1975, before arriving in North Providence from 1976 to 1977.

He was not included on the Diocese of Providence’s original credibly accused list, but was on the lists for the Diocese of Charlotte and the Archdiocese of Hartford. That means the Diocese of Providence knew other dioceses had flagged him, yet his name was not disclosed to Rhode Island survivors for years. That kind of institutional silence is exactly what the Rhode Island Attorney General’s investigation was designed to expose.

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report, released on March 4, 2026, is a 284-page document covering decades of abuse within the Diocese of Providence. The multi-year investigation concerned the review of Diocese of Providence internal records relating to clergy abuse dating back to 1950. Corbesero’s inclusion in that report confirms that credible evidence of his misconduct was found by investigators, and that his victims in Rhode Island deserve to be heard.

What Allegations Were Made Against Father Corbesero?

The allegations against Father Eugene Corbesero span multiple states and decades. 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. An altar boy. A child who trusted the Church and was placed directly in Corbesero’s care.

Corbesero was also accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in North Carolina between 1973 and 1975. In 1995, the Diocese of Charlotte received a report that he had abused a teenage boy between 1973 and 1975, and the Providence Diocese inquired about his status after that report. The Providence Diocese knew. They inquired. And still, his name did not appear on their public credibly accused list until the Attorney General forced the issue.

In August 2006, a 12-year-old boy called 911 to report that Corbesero molested him at a sleepover in New Jersey. 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. His guilt was established in a court of law. This is not a matter of unproven allegations. A judge heard the evidence, and Corbesero was convicted.

At least one victim from North Providence was also abused by Father Paul Reynolds, also named in the Attorney General’s report, showing the overlapping nature of abuse at St. Lawrence Church. Multiple accused priests. One parish. Children caught in the middle. If you were at St. Lawrence Church in North Providence during the 1970s, you may have experienced abuse that was never your fault and was never properly addressed by the Church.

How the Diocese of Providence Failed to Protect Children From Corbesero

The Diocese of Providence’s handling of Father Corbesero’s case reflects a broader institutional failure documented throughout the Attorney General’s 2026 report. According to the report, Diocese officials protected accused priests by promising them confidentiality and transferring them out of the community of the accuser, a practice that provided accused priests access to a new pool of victims rather than addressing the problem at the source.

Corbesero served in multiple dioceses across multiple states. Other dioceses flagged him as credibly accused. He served at St. Lawrence Church in North Providence and was not included on the Diocese of Providence’s credibly accused list, despite being on the lists for the Diocese of Charlotte and the Archdiocese of Hartford. The failure to disclose his name to Rhode Island survivors was a choice. It was not an oversight.

The Attorney General’s report also documents how Church leadership prioritized reputation over child safety. As the report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence makes clear, bishops at times reassigned accused priests to settings with continued access to children rather than removing them from ministry entirely. Corbesero’s movement across dioceses fits this documented pattern precisely.

The report identified approximately 75 clergy members with credible allegations involving more than 300 minor children and described patterns in which accused clergy were reassigned and allegations were inconsistently reported to authorities. Corbesero is one name among 75. But for the survivors he harmed, he is the only name that matters. The institution that enabled him can be held accountable under Rhode Island law, and Sommers Schwartz is prepared to help you pursue that accountability.

Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law (H-7200A/S-2616A) and What It Means for Corbesero Survivors

Rhode Island’s new child sexual abuse law, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, is a direct response to the Attorney General’s findings. The law amends the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse of a child and creates a two-year window for survivors to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse.

The new law establishes a two-year civil “revival window” that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. During this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. For survivors of Father Corbesero who believed their window to seek justice had permanently closed, this law reopens that door.

The legislation, known as H-7200A in the House and S-2616A in the Senate, goes further than prior Rhode Island law. In 2019, the General Assembly extended the statute of limitations and gave previously time-barred survivors an opportunity to sue. But in 2023, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the 2019 law only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them. The 2026 law fixes that gap directly.

Future claims must be filed by whichever date is later: either 35 years from the date of the abusive act or seven years from when the survivor first discovers or reasonably connects their adult injuries to the childhood abuse. For survivors whose claims are already time-barred, the revival window is the critical opportunity. All time-barred claims must be filed by June 30, 2028, or they may be forever barred. That deadline is firm. Acting now matters.

Your Legal Rights as a Survivor of Father Corbesero’s Abuse

Survivors of Father Corbesero’s abuse have civil legal rights that are separate from any criminal process. A civil lawsuit allows you to seek accountability from both the individual abuser and the institutions that enabled or concealed the abuse. Under Rhode Island’s new law, that includes the Diocese of Providence and any supervisors who knew of Corbesero’s conduct and failed to act.

Civil claims do not require a criminal conviction. Corbesero’s 2007 guilty plea in New Jersey is a matter of public record, and it establishes that his conduct was criminal. But even without a prior conviction, Rhode Island civil law allows survivors to bring claims based on the evidence of what happened to them. You do not need to have reported the abuse to police to pursue a civil case. You do not need to have told anyone before now.

Working with a sexual assault lawyer who understands both Rhode Island’s new lookback window and the specific history of Diocese of Providence clergy abuse gives you the best foundation for your claim. Sommers Schwartz attorneys represent survivors across multiple states and bring institutional knowledge of how these cases are built and how dioceses respond to litigation.

The lookback window reflects a broader recognition that delayed disclosure is common in cases involving childhood sexual abuse. Rhode Island lawmakers understood that survivors of clergy abuse often carry their experiences in silence for years, sometimes decades. The law was written with that reality in mind. If you are coming forward now, you are doing exactly what the law anticipated. There is no wrong time to seek justice for what was done to you.

If you were abused by a clergy member connected to the Diocese of Providence, you may also want to understand the broader context of how other accused priests operated within the same system. The Attorney General’s report documents how priests like Father Corbesero moved between assignments, and how that movement was often a tool of concealment rather than accountability. A sexual abuse lawyer at Sommers Schwartz can help you understand how your specific experience fits within that larger pattern and what legal options are available to you right now.

How Sommers Schwartz Can Help Survivors of Father Corbesero

Sommers Schwartz is a multi-state law firm with attorneys who represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse, including survivors of Diocese of Providence priests. The firm handles cases with a trauma-informed approach, meaning your experience, your pace, and your comfort guide every step of the process. You will never be pushed to share more than you are ready to share, and you will never be made to feel that what happened to you is in any way your fault.

The firm’s attorneys understand the specific legal framework that applies to Diocese of Providence claims, including the new revival window under H-7200A/S-2616A, the history of prior Rhode Island statute of limitations rulings, and the institutional patterns documented in the Attorney General’s 2026 report. That context matters when building a civil case against a diocese that has spent decades protecting itself.

Sommers Schwartz also handles cases for survivors who want to file anonymously. Rhode Island courts allow plaintiffs in sexual abuse cases to proceed as Jane Doe or John Doe, which means your name does not have to appear in public court filings. Privacy is a real option, and the firm’s attorneys can walk you through how that process works before you make any decisions.

If you are a family member supporting a survivor who is considering a claim, Sommers Schwartz can speak with you as well. Understanding the legal process, the timeline, and what a civil case actually involves can help you support your loved one more effectively. You do not have to figure this out alone.

Reaching out to a sexual assault attorney at Sommers Schwartz costs nothing upfront. The firm handles these cases on a contingency basis, which means you pay no fees unless your case results in a recovery. Contact Sommers Schwartz today to talk about what happened, ask your questions, and find out what your legal options are before the June 30, 2028 revival window closes.

FAQs About Father Corbesero and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Was Father Corbesero ever convicted of a crime?

Yes. Father Eugene Corbesero pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child in New Jersey in October 2007 and was sentenced to five years in prison. His conviction followed a 2006 incident in which a 12-year-old boy called 911 to report that Corbesero had molested him at a sleepover. The conviction is a matter of public record and is separate from the civil claims that survivors may now bring under Rhode Island’s new lookback window law.

Can I still file a civil lawsuit if the abuse happened in the 1970s?

Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200A/S-2616A, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, creates a two-year revival window for exactly this situation. If your claim was previously time-barred because the old statute of limitations had expired, this window temporarily lifts that barrier. You may file a civil claim against Father Corbesero’s estate, the Diocese of Providence, or other institutions accused of enabling or covering up the abuse. All time-barred claims must be filed by June 30, 2028.

Does the new Rhode Island law allow me to sue the Diocese of Providence, not just the individual priest?

Yes. That is one of the most significant things the 2026 law does. Prior to this legislation, a 2023 Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling limited the 2019 statute of limitations extension to claims against individual perpetrators only, not institutions or supervisors. The new H-7200A/S-2616A law corrects that by specifically allowing survivors to bring time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse of a child.

What if I never reported the abuse to police or the Church?

You do not need to have reported the abuse to anyone to pursue a civil lawsuit. Many survivors of clergy abuse never reported what happened to them, and Rhode Island law does not require a prior police report or church complaint as a condition of filing a civil claim. The trauma of abuse often delays disclosure for years or even decades, and the new lookback window law was written with that reality in mind. An attorney at Sommers Schwartz can review your situation confidentially and explain your options without any obligation to file.

Can I file my lawsuit anonymously so my name is not in public records?

Rhode Island courts allow survivors of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits as Jane Doe or John Doe, which keeps your name out of public court filings. This option is available in many clergy abuse cases and can be an important protection for survivors who are concerned about privacy. The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz are experienced with anonymous filing procedures and can explain exactly how this works before you make any decisions about moving forward with a claim.

More Resources About Clergy Abuse

• Diocese of Providence Clergy Abuse
• Father John Abruzzese
• Father Raymond Allard
• Father Argencourt
• Father Azzarone
• Father Barnes
• Father Battel
• Father Belhumeur
• Father Bordignon
• Father Dennis Brodeur
• Father Campbell
• Father Carpentier
• Father Cavanaugh
• Father Charland
• Father Crafton
• Father D’Angelo
• Father DeAngelis
• Father Louis Demers
• Father Albert Desrosiers
• Father Paul Desrosiers
• Father Diogo
• Father Dolan
• Father Doran
• Father Dunn
• Father Dziob
• Father Edes
• Father Feeney
• Father Oscar Ferland
• Father Ferry
• Father Fitzgerald
• Father Flanagan
• Father Gagnon
• Father Gillooly
• Father Gorton
• Father Guertin
• Father Holden
• Father James Jackson
• Father Edward Kelley
• Father Lacasse
• Father LaMountain
• Father Leboeuf
• Father Paul Henry Leech
• Father Lepire
• Father Lonardo
• Father Philip Magaldi
• Father Manu
• Father Normand Marcantonio
• Father Joseph McCra
• Father McIntyre
• Father Meehan
• Father Meglio
• Father Menard
• Father Micarelli
• Father O’Connell
• Father J.F. O’Neil
• Father W. O’Neill
• Father Powers
• Father Rafferty
• Father Raiche
• Father Reynolds
• Father Rocha
• Father Sadowski
• Father Santagata
• Father Francis Santilli
• Father John Scagnelli
• Father Smyth
• Father Tanguay
• Father Tedeschi
• Father Tormey
• Father Tousignant
• Father Turillo
• Father Ventre