A Nigerian Catholic priest has been convicted in the United States on multiple counts of sexual assault, after a Texas jury found that he exploited women who sought his spiritual guidance.
Key Highlights:
- A Nigerian Catholic priest, Anthony Odiong, was convicted in Texas on multiple sexual assault charges.
- Prosecutors said he abused his position to exploit women seeking spiritual guidance.
- One victim testified that he described the sexual acts as spiritually justified.
- The trial included evidence of allegations from several women and a child he reportedly fathered with a congregant.
- He faces a possible life sentence, with sentencing scheduled to take place in court.
The priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, 57, was found guilty by a McLennan County jury on one first-degree and two second-degree counts of sexual assault involving two women.
The verdict was delivered on Friday, following a week-long trial at the 19th State District Court in Waco, Texas.
According to prosecutors, Odiong used his position as a trusted spiritual adviser to manipulate and sexually exploit vulnerable female congregants who turned to him for religious counselling and support.
During the trial, one of the victims testified that the priest portrayed their sexual encounters as acts that were “spiritual and holy,” allegedly using religious influence to justify his conduct.
Court proceedings heard that the allegations spanned several years and involved incidents in both Texas and Louisiana, where Odiong later served as a priest in the town of Luling.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that the cleric fathered a child with another congregant in Louisiana around 2023, with DNA testing reportedly confirming his paternity.
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Although as many as nine women reportedly came forward with allegations against him, the trial focused on offences involving two women in Waco between 2010 and 2012.
One witness, the son of one of the victims, testified that he discovered his mother with the priest, providing key testimony during the proceedings.
Odiong, who is originally from Nigeria and is affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Uyo, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He now faces the possibility of life imprisonment on the first-degree sexual assault conviction, while each second-degree conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for Monday before Judge Thomas West.
