A woman who accused a prominent Alabama priest of paying her for sex and companionship from the age of 17 has said there is “no real winner” after he resigned from the clergy. Heather Jones, now 33, spoke publicly for the first time since Robert Sullivan's self-imposed removal from the priesthood was announced, saying the only thing she gained was “truth finally coming to light after years of gaslighting myself into thinking it wasn’t a big deal”.
Jones alleged that she met Sullivan, now 61, while working as an exotic dancer at a venue outside Birmingham, Alabama, despite being under the applicable age limit. She claims he offered to “change my life” and proposed an ongoing relationship involving financial support in exchange for private companionship, including sex in hotel rooms across several Alabama cities. She said he paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain silent.
In a statement, Jones said she experienced mixed emotions and hoped for “healing, accountability and protection for anyone who has ever been harmed by someone powerful”. She also alluded to criminal charges filed against her shortly after she first spoke out, saying attempts to discredit her and hateful comments became overwhelming. She credited other women who shared their own experiences with her for giving her strength.
Jones filed a formal complaint with the Birmingham diocese in August, which was forwarded to the Vatican body investigating clergy misconduct. Church officials said they investigated the significant payments allegedly made by Sullivan and found no link to church funds. Sullivan subsequently asked Pope Leo XIV to be dispensed from all obligations of the priesthood, and the request was granted on 22 November.
There is no indication that Sullivan has faced scrutiny from Alabama law enforcement. While Alabama's age of consent is 16, it became a felony for clergy to engage in sexual activity with anyone under 19 only in spring 2024. Jones herself was charged with a misdemeanour in connection with accusations that she filed a false report.
