Nigerian catholic priest convicted in US for sexually assaulting women seeking spiritual guidance
A Texas jury has found Anthony Odiong, a Nigerian Catholic priest, guilty of sexually assaulting women who sought him out for spiritual guidance, concluding a high-profile case that exposed allegations of coercion, abuse of trust and sexual misconduct spanning several years.
Odiong, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was convicted on two counts of sexual assault by a jury comprising eight women and four men, according to reports from Texas.
The conviction leaves the cleric facing a potential life sentence on a first-degree charge and up to 20 years imprisonment on a second-degree charge.
Odiong was arrested in 2024 after multiple women accused him of sexual coercion, unwanted touching and manipulative behaviour while serving in Catholic parishes in Waco, Texas, and Luling, Louisiana.
Following an investigation, a Texas grand jury indicted him on sexual assault-related charges.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Odiong exploited his position as a trusted spiritual adviser to gain access to vulnerable women experiencing personal and family crises.
Court proceedings revealed testimony from several women who accused the priest of abusing the trust placed in him as a religious leader.
One of the complainants, identified in court as Mary Doe, told jurors that she entered into a sexual relationship with Odiong after seeking his spiritual direction during a difficult divorce that left her caring for seven children.
She testified that one of her sons unexpectedly walked into her bedroom and discovered her and the priest having sex following a family gathering. The child also testified during the trial.
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Jurors further heard evidence involving another woman, identified by the pseudonym Presley Jones, whom Odiong had reportedly counselled while serving as pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Luling.
Investigators presented DNA evidence that prosecutors said established that Odiong fathered a child with the woman in 2023.
The court also heard allegations that the priest encouraged a woman trapped in an abusive relationship to permit sexual acts by her then-husband and later discuss the experience with him.
Prosecutors maintained that the case demonstrated a pattern of exploiting women who sought religious guidance during vulnerable moments in their lives.
Odiong’s sentencing date has not yet been announced.
