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A Nigerian Catholic priest, Anthony Odiong, has been convicted by a jury in Texas, United States, on charges of sexually assaulting women who sought spiritual guidance from him.
According to reports from the Guardian, the jury, comprising eight women and four men, found Odiong guilty on two counts of sexual assault following a trial in Texas.
Odiong, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, faces a possible life sentence on a first-degree charge and up to 20 years imprisonment on a second-degree charge.
The cleric was arrested in 2024 after several women accused him of sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact and financial manipulation during his ministry in Waco, Texas, and in Luling, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana.
A Texas grand jury later indicted him on sexual assault charges.
During the trial, prosecutors told the court that investigations showed Odiong presented himself as a spiritual adviser to women experiencing personal and emotional difficulties.
Evidence presented during the proceedings indicated that he engaged in sexual relationships with some of the women who had sought his guidance.
One of the complainants, identified by the pseudonym Mary Doe, testified that a sexual relationship developed after the priest began providing her with spiritual counselling while she was going through a difficult divorce and caring for seven children.
The court also heard testimony that one of her children walked in on the pair during a sexual encounter in her home. The child later gave evidence during the trial.
Investigators further presented Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) evidence which they said established that Odiong fathered a child with another woman, identified in court records as Presley Jones, in 2023.
According to testimony, the woman had received spiritual direction from Odiong while he served as pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Luling.
The prosecution also alleged that the priest exerted inappropriate influence over another woman in an abusive relationship, encouraging conduct that later formed part of the evidence presented before the jury.
Sentencing is expected at a later date.
