A Roman Catholic priest convicted of criminal clergy sexual assault in Texas has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Anthony Odiong, 57, received the punishment from a jury at a state courthouse in Waco on Tuesday after witnesses described his sexually inappropriate behaviour spanning more than a decade.
Character witnesses for Odiong advocated for probation, arguing he could comply with conditions such as living near Waco and avoiding further crimes, despite having broken his priestly vows of chastity. Odiong entered the two-day sentencing proceeding knowing he faced between five and 99 years or life in prison after being found guilty of a first-degree sexual assault charge. He was also convicted of two second-degree sexual assault charges, receiving 20 years for each. The sentences are to be served concurrently, with eligibility for parole after 30 years. Jurors also fined Odiong $10,000 on each charge.
Odiong’s attorney, Gerald Villarial, stated he would seek an appeal. At the conclusion of a four-day trial on Friday, the same jury determined Odiong guilty of first- and second-degree sexual assault for illegally exploiting his spiritual authority as a clergyman to have sex with two devout female parishioners, either directly or through proxies.
Odiong spent much of a 17-year period from 2006 ministering in the Waco region and serving as pastor of St Anthony of Padua church in Luling, Louisiana. In late 2023, New Orleans Catholic archdiocese leaders confirmed they had removed Odiong from his pastoral role due to clerical misconduct with multiple women. The Guardian published a February 2024 investigative report on women accusing Odiong of sexual coercion, unwanted touching and abusive financial control during spiritual direction.
That article prompted a woman, identified in court as Mary Doe, to bring the report to Waco police, alleging Odiong fostered a sexual relationship with her from 2008 to 2011 while providing spiritual direction. Texas considers such conduct by a religious cleric as felony sexual assault. Her complaint led to an investigation resulting in Odiong’s arrest and conviction for assaults on her and another woman, Jane Doe, one of the Guardian’s interviewees.
Lead detective Bradley DeLange stated that the Guardian reporting provided a roadmap for the investigation. During the trial, Jane Doe testified that Odiong compelled her to permit her then-husband to engage in painful intercourse as a desperate measure to save her marriage, then demanded details. Prosecutors argued this indirect act constituted assault given Odiong’s role as spiritual director.
Investigators secured corroboration from additional complainants, including a woman who received spiritual direction from Odiong in Luling and later had a child with him in spring 2023. At the sentencing phase, two former Baylor University students testified that Odiong touched them inappropriately. One said he touched her leg after confession, gave her a bear hug with an erection, and caressed her arms. Another said he nibbled her ear and lifted her by the buttocks.
A third woman from Odiong’s Luling congregation testified that after her husband’s death, Odiong made sexual advances, including kissing her forcefully during a trip to Medjugorje. She also described an incident days before Odiong’s arrest when she woke to find him standing by her bed in his Florida home.
Odiong did not testify in his defence. His attorneys argued his actions were part of consensual dating relationships that violated celibacy but occurred in his personal time. During sentencing, defence witnesses described Odiong as caring, but many admitted his crimes were unbecoming of a clergyman. One man who underwent an exorcism by Odiong said he believed the priest had sex with parishioners, adding, “You play certain games, you win certain prizes.”
A therapist who evaluated Odiong testified he would be suitable for probation, but on cross-examination revealed Odiong had lied about having a child. Odiong also admitted to sex with a congregant in 2008 and acknowledged the truth of Jane Doe’s complaint. Prosecutor Ryan Calvert urged jurors to impose a punishment that would catch the Vatican’s attention and prevent Odiong from ever reaching victims again.
In a victim impact statement, Mary Doe described Odiong’s crimes as “soul murder” and thanked prosecutors, police and the Guardian for believing her. Jane Doe’s statement said, “What he did was a crime against personhood.”
The case has raised questions about how the Catholic hierarchy handled Odiong. Church officials in Texas said they suspended him from ministering in Waco by 2019, but evidence suggested a suspension as early as 2018. One former student reported him twice, with little response. New Orleans officials waited four more years to suspend Odiong. His supporters had been helping him build a luxurious home in Nigeria, and he spent over $24,000 on jail calls since his July 2024 arrest. Odiong rejected a plea deal offering 20 years.
