#USA #TX – A Texas jury convicted Nigerian-born Catholic priest Fr. Anthony Odiong on May 29, 2026, of felony sexual assault charges for exploiting his position to engage in sexual relationships with vulnerable women he counselled spiritually.
The eight-woman, four-man jury in the 19th State District Court deliberated for about two hours before finding the 57-year-old priest guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault involving two women identified in court as “Mary Doe” and “Jane Doe.”
Prosecutors argued that Odiong, who served at St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University in Waco from around 2007 to 2012, preyed on women experiencing marital difficulties, abuse, or emotional distress. Texas law classifies sexual acts between clergy and those under their spiritual direction as felony sexual assault due to the inherent power imbalance.
One victim, Mary Doe, testified that she met Odiong in 2008 while attending Mass at the student center during a difficult divorce and custody battle involving seven young children. She said he offered spiritual direction but soon sexualized the relationship, leading to intercourse at her home and in his office or confessional at the center. Her son reportedly witnessed one encounter in 2011.
Jane Doe described submitting to spiritual guidance amid an abusive marriage. Prosecutors presented evidence that Odiong directed her to engage in painful intercourse with her husband as a means to save the marriage and then report details back to him, which they argued constituted assault.
DNA evidence introduced at trial confirmed that Odiong fathered a child with another woman, “Presley Jones,” a parishioner he counselled while pastoring St. Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, Louisiana. He faced no charges there, as Louisiana lacks a comparable clergy-specific law.
The defense claimed the relationships were consensual “dating” relationships and attempted to challenge the victims’ credibility. Prosecutors countered that Odiong weaponized faith and his clerical authority, emphasizing that priests bear responsibility for maintaining boundaries.
Odiong, ordained in Nigeria’s Diocese of Uyo in 1993, served in multiple U.S. dioceses. He transferred to the Diocese of Austin in 2006, later studied in Rome, and moved to the Archdiocese of New Orleans around 2015. Church officials suspended him from ministry in Austin by 2019 and in New Orleans in 2023 amid misconduct allegations involving adults.
Investigative reporting by The Guardian journalist Ramon Antonio Vargas, beginning in 2023, brought forward accounts from multiple women across states. At least nine women accused Odiong of sexual coercion or exploitation. He was arrested in Florida in 2024 on child pornography charges while seeking employment near a Catholic university; authorities returned him to Texas.
The Diocese of Austin confirmed Odiong remained incarcerated in Uyo and had no permission to minister in Texas. The Archdiocese of New Orleans expressed disgust at his actions and offered prayers for victims.
Sentencing is scheduled to begin June 1, 2026. Odiong faces up to life in prison on the first-degree charge and up to 20 years on each second-degree count. He had been held in the McLennan County Jail since his extradition.
Image: Fr. Anthony Odiong.
