Catholic priest given life sentence for sexual assault in Texas found to have neglected daughter
Child of Anthony Odiong, born in 2023, did not have car seat while cleric spent $20,000 on phone calls from jail
TL;DR
- Anthony Odiong, a Catholic priest, was sentenced to life imprisonment for criminal clergy sexual assault in Texas.
- Prosecutors stated Odiong treated his daughter and her mother as a "single mother" household, failing to provide fatherly support.
- Investigators found Odiong's daughter lacked a proper car seat, which was eventually purchased by police detectives with their own money.
- While in jail awaiting trial, Odiong spent over $20,000 on telephone calls.
- Odiong fathered a child with a parishioner in Louisiana, despite his clerical vow of celibacy.
- He was convicted for sexually assaulting two women, Mary Doe and Jane Doe, by exploiting his religious position.
- Odiong's misconduct came to light after inflammatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community and complaints of misconduct with multiple women.
- The New Orleans archdiocese had known about complaints against Odiong for five years before suspending him.
- Odiong's case is one of several involving New Orleans archdiocese clergy convicted of sexually violent crimes following the organization's bankruptcy filing due to clergy abuse scandals.