![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
A US-based Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, has been convicted by a jury in Texas for sexually assaulting women under his spiritual care.
The 57-year-old priest was found guilty on one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault after a trial in Waco, Texas.
The jury, made up of eight women and four men, delivered its verdict after about two hours of deliberation on Friday.
The court heard testimony from two victims who said Odiong used his position as a priest to manipulate and pressure them into sexual relationships.
Odiong was accused of using his position as a Catholic priest to engage in sexual encounters with women to whom he was providing spiritual guidance.
Odiong, who pleaded not guilty, could face life in jail on the first-degree felony when his sentencing begins on Monday.
Prosecutors said the offenses included two women who stated in court that the priest abused his clerical authority during times of emotional distress.
One of the victims, known in court filings as Mary Doe, said before the jury that Odiong initiated a sexual relationship with her while offering spiritual counseling amid a tough divorce.
She further claimed that her child once walked in on her and Odiong during intercourse at her house.
Another woman, Jane Doe, said that he coerced her into sexual actions under the pretense of spiritual instruction.
The lawsuit followed The Guardian’s 2024 story, which first detailed allegations of sexual assault and coercion against the priest throughout his time in Texas and Louisiana.
Prosecutors said the revelation encouraged one of the victims to come forward with more allegations.
Investigators then acquired additional evidence, including DNA from a child Odiong fathered while in Louisiana.
Odiong was ordained in Nigeria in 1993 and has since served in Catholic parishes in Texas and Louisiana.
According to authorities, he was suspended from the ministry in 2019 due to previous misconduct claims.
During the trial, his defense claimed that the encounters were consensual, but prosecutors insisted that he exploited his position of responsibility as a clergy member.
