Anthony Odiong, a Catholic priest, has been convicted by a jury in Texas, United States, for sexually assaulting women who sought spiritual guidance.
According to The Guardian, the jury in Texas, consisting of eight women and four men, found Odiong guilty of a two-count charge of sexual assault.
Odiong, who serves under the Diocese of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, now faces a possible life imprisonment sentence on one count and up to 20 months on the second charge.
The priest was first arrested in 2024 following multiple allegations from women who accused him of sexual coercion, unwanted physical contact and financial exploitation during his pastoral assignments in Waco, Texas, and Luling, Louisiana.
He was subsequently indicted by a Texas grand jury after law enforcement agencies concluded investigations into the allegations.
Prosecutors told the court that Odiong allegedly abused his position as a spiritual adviser to gain access to vulnerable women undergoing personal difficulties.
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The Guardian reports that a police investigation revealed that Odiong had sexual intercourse with at least one of the women.
During the trial, prosecutors also presented additional allegations, including claims that he encouraged a woman in an abusive relationship to allow her then-husband to sexually assault her, before later pressuring her to recount the incident to him.
One of the complainants, identified in court as Mary Doe, testified that the priest initiated a sexual relationship with her while providing spiritual counselling during her divorce, a period in which she was caring for seven children.
She further told the jury that her child walked in on her and Odiong during a sexual encounter at her home after a family gathering, a claim the child corroborated in court testimony.
Jurors also heard evidence from investigators, including DNA findings that reportedly linked Odiong to a child allegedly fathered in 2023 with another woman identified as Presley Jones.
Reports have it that Odiong was serving as a priest at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Luling at the time he allegedly provided spiritual guidance to the woman.
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