Texas Priest Sentenced to Life for Clergy Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Anthony Odiong, a naturalized U.S. citizen and Roman Catholic priest originally from Nigeria, was sentenced to life imprisonment on June 4, 2024, after a McLennan County jury in Waco, Texas, found him guilty of sexually assaulting two women under his spiritual care. The verdict marked a rare instance of a clergyman being held criminally liable under state laws governing clergy sexual misconduct with adults.

Trial and Life Imprisonment in Waco

Odiong stood trial at the 19th State District Court in Waco, Texas, where prosecutors presented testimony from multiple women regarding sexual abuse encountered during spiritual counseling. According to the Texas Prosecutor journal, reported by theguardian.com, the jury convicted the 58-year-old priest on May 29, 2024, of first-degree and second-degree felony sexual assault charges involving Jane Doe and Mary Doe. Presiding Judge Thomas West imposed a life sentence following a 90-minute jury deliberation on June 4, 2024. Odiong received two concurrent 20-year prison terms alongside his life sentence and was ordered to pay $30,000 in fines. He was subsequently incarcerated in a maximum-security prison in Abilene, Texas, while his defense counsel, Gerald Villarrial, pursued an appeal.

Daughter Raised Without Support in Louisiana

Prosecutors Ryan Calvert and Liz Buice detailed in the Texas Prosecutor journal that Odiong fathered a child in 2023 with a Louisiana parishioner. The parishioner, identified in court as Presley Jones, was under his spiritual direction.

Church Officials Held Records of Prior Misconduct Allegations

According to theguardian.com, internal documents showed that church officials in New Orleans and Austin possessed records of sexual misconduct allegations years before Odiong was removed from his role as pastor of Luling’s St Anthony of Padua church.

Texas Law Criminalizes Sexual Contact Between Clergy and Adults

The case showed that Texas is one of 15 U.S. states and the District of Columbia with laws criminalizing sexual contact between clergy members and adults under their pastoral care. Meanwhile, the New Orleans archdiocese and its insurers in December agreed to pay $305 million to hundreds of abuse survivors following its federal bankruptcy filing in 2020. As the legal proceedings move forward, defense attorney Gerald Villarrial confirmed that the conviction is actively being challenged through the appellate process.