A Nigerian Catholic priest, Anthony Odiong, has been found guilty by a United States jury on multiple sexual assault charges and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison under Texas law.
According to reports by The Guardian UK on Saturday, the 57-year-old cleric was convicted by a jury comprising eight women and four men after a trial held in Waco, Texas.
The jury found Odiong guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault involving two women who testified during the proceedings.
Under Texas law, the first-degree conviction carries a potential life sentence, while the second-degree offences attract prison terms ranging from two to 20 years. Sentencing is expected to commence on Monday.
The case followed investigations into allegations that the priest used his position within the church to sexually exploit women.
The probe gained momentum after The Guardian published accounts from women who accused the cleric of sexual misconduct and abuse.
Odiong’s conviction marks the second time in two years that a priest who served at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Luling has been convicted over a sexual assault-related offence.
In 2024, retired Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, then aged 93, was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to charges linked to the abduction and rape of a boy at a church in New Orleans in 1975.
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