The Rev. John Corapi, who once served a prominent position in the Sacramento Roman Catholic Diocese, has been placed on administrative leave in Texas after allegations of misconduct.

The claim of misconduct does not involve minors and does not rise to a level of criminal conduct, said the Rev. Gerald Sheehan of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity based in the Corpus Christi area.

Corapi, 63, is a nationally known speaker and a regular on Catholic television. When he was in Sacramento during the mid-1990s, he served as the director of Catholic Faith Formation and packed churches and social halls with his talks about sin, sacraments and faith.

"We have received an allegation that Father Corapi has behaved in a manner unbecoming a priest and are duty-bound to conduct an investigation," said Sheehan, who noted in his statement that the allegation does not mean Corapi is guilty.

Corapi said in a statement on his website that a "former employee" sent a three-page letter to several bishops accusing him of "everything from drug addiction to multiple sexual exploits with her and several other adult women." He said all the allegations in the complaint are false.

A spokesman for the Sacramento Diocese said the local bishop's office had not received any letter from Corapi's accuser. The local diocese had no comment other than to say Corapi no longer had any connection to it.

While in Sacramento, Corapi spoke with a conservative wit on the new catechism.

After he left his Sacramento position, he tipped authorities to allegedly unnecessary procedures at a Redding hospital. He and other whistle-blowers received a settlement in 2005 after federal officials agreed on a series of monetary civil penalties against four doctors accused of performing unnecessary heart procedures.

Corapi, ordained by Pope John Paul II at the age of 44, lamented in his website statement that the church's protocol to protect minors from sexual abuse is "being applied broadly to respond to all complaints. I have been placed on 'administrative leave' as a result of this."

Sheehan of Corapi's Texas community said the allegations against Corapi would be investigated internally.

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