Leo Charles Koppala was found guilty of sexual misconduct.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Leo Charles Koppala, the Catholic priest who was convicted on charges of sexually assaulting a 13 year-old girl in Minnesota, was deported back to his home country of India on May 14.
Koppala’s diocese was located in Winona, a picturesque lakeside town in southeastern Minnesota. He immigrated to the US from his hometown of Nellore, in Andhra Pradesh, where he was also a Catholic minister. A well-liked clergyman in the local community, Koppala has now been sent back to India because of his sexual misconduct with a minor.
According to the court documents, Koppala was invited to the home a then-11 year-old girl on June 8, 2013, where he was to dine with her and her grandmother. Everything was going fine until, when the grandmother was on the phone with someone, the girl went downstairs to watch television.
Koppala followed the girl into the basement, and began telling her that he was glad they could finally be alone now. He then kissed her on her cheeks and lips, and fondled her in several places. When the two of them came upstairs, the grandmother told the court that she could see her granddaughter was upset about something.
When Koppola left for home, the victim told her grandmother what happened, and the police were subsequently involved. Koppala was charged and convicted on second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
Koppala was convicted in March, and later sentenced to 31 days in prison (with credit for time already served) and 25 years of supervised probation. Additionally, Koppala was added to the national registry of sex offenders in the US, and can no longer associate with anyone under the age of 18 in this country.
But because of his immigration status and the severity of his crime, authorities made it known that deportation was not only possible, but likely. Koppala’s lawyer, Phillip J. Elbert, had told local media at the time of the conviction that his client knew deportation could happen, and despite having the legal right to appeal the verdict, would not be doing so.
Koppala was in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since his conviction, and was handed over to law enforcement officials in New Delhi upon arriving on Indian soil.