The US authorities have deported an Indian Catholic priest, leo Charles Koppala, after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Minnesota last June.
Koppala, who worked with Diocese of Winona, Minnesota, was arrested in June last year and charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was convicted on March 31 at the Faribault County District Court in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and sentenced to 31 days, with credit for time served, and 25 years supervised probation.
The 48-year-old Koppala, originally with the Diocese of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, was escorted by officers of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a commercial flight and turned over to Indian authorities in New Delhi on Wednesday.
“Koppala held a position of trust in the Catholic Church and the community. He broke that trust. We sincerely hope that his permanent removal from the US will help the healing process for the victim and the victim’s family,” said Scott Baniecke, ICE Field Office Director at St Paul, Minnesota.
local media reports said that Koppala had pleaded guilty in March, admitting that he had fondled the girl at the home of her grandmother, who had invited him to supper.
Following his conviction, Koppala was relieved of his ministry and discharged from service by the Diocese of Winona, which also alerted the bishop of his home diocese in Nellore about the conviction “so that appropriate measures can be taken upon his return to India”.
ICE also spoke of its “unique immigration-enforcement authorities to help safeguard our communities from criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat”.
At the time of his arrest, Koppala had a website, Orphan and Poor Children Education that solicited funds reportedly to help the Indian children with sponsorships, collecting $40 for each such sponsorship.