Former Loudoun Priest Sentenced For 1985 Sexual Abuse: Prosecutors

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A former Catholic priest who was assigned to a parish in Loudoun County has been sentenced for sexually abusing a child in 1985, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said this week.

The former priest, Scott Asalone, worked at the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville while he sexually abused the victim. The victim was 14 years old, authorities said.

A judge sentenced Asalone to eight years in prison. Asalone will also be required to register as a sex offender and he is prohibited from having any contact with the victim.

In December, Asalone pleaded guilty to one count of felony carnal knowledge of a minor between 13 and 15 years of age.

Asalone entered an "Alford" guilty plea, which means he asserted his innocence while acknowledging the evidence presented would be likely to convince a jury of his guilt.

"Today’s sentencing brings long overdue justice to the brave victim who came forward and told their story," Miyares said in a news release. "My office will continue to aggressively prosecute child offenders."

According to court records, the Catholic church removed Asalone from public duties in 1993. He was dismissed from the Order of Capuchin Friars in 2007.

"I encourage anyone who has been a victim of clergy abuse to contact the Virginia State Police or local law enforcement," Miyares said. "I’d also like to commend the Virginia State Police and my Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section for their outstanding work on this case."

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Asalone’s victim in the case was former D.C. councilman David Grosso, who planned to testify before Asalone pleaded guilty. After Asalone’s arrest in 2020, Grosso publicly identified the former priest as his abuser, The Washington Post reported.

Grosso was 14, and Asalone was 29, when the abuse occurred in 1985.

“It felt good for me to be there,” Grosso told the Post in December, “to see the judge walk him through the charge, and find that he really is guilty of assaulting me. … He realized the case was too strong against him.”

Asalone most recently lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey. A grand jury indicted him in March 2020 after an investigation by the attorney general's office and Virginia State Police. Authorities arrested Asalone in March 2020, and he was extradited to Virginia.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center can provide information about reporting and coping with sexual abuse. Their website also features training materials and tips to prevent sexual abuse. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network operates a 24/7 hotline for victims of sexual assault. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.