A Nigerian Catholic priest, Father Anthony Odiong, faces a lifetime in jail after he was indicted by a court in Texas, USA, on felony sexual assault charges after several women accused him of sexual and financial abuse.
Court documents and investigations reveal that Father Odiong who is from Akwa Ibom State, was indicted last week by a grand jury in McLennan County, Texas, on two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of first-degree sexual assault.
According to the Waco Police Department in a Facebook post, Father Odiong was first arrested in July in Ave Maria, Florida, when investigators found him in possession of child pornography while looking into sexual assault claims reported to the police. The post said the suspect was not indicted on possession of child pornography, but could be in the future.
One of the investigators, Detective Bradley DeLange said the police had been investigating Father Odiong for months because they had received “credible information” alleging he committed a sexual assault in 2012.
“During the investigation, the police found several women with similar stories of abuse as the original victim who had come forward.
“The police discovered at least eight women who claimed that the priest groped, sexually assaulted or financially abused them, including one woman who sought Father Odiong’s counsel over her marriage troubles,” Detective DeLange said.
‘Under Texas law, it is considered sexual assault if members of the clergy engage in sexual activity with individuals who depend on them emotionally as spiritual advisers,” the detective added.
Records also reveal that Father
Odiong served as a priest at St. Peter Catholic Student Center in Waco, Texas, and at St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, from 2007 to 2012, according to police, and he also served in Luling, Louisiana, from around 2015 to 2023.
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