1 month ago
A Roman Catholic leader pinch ties to Texas and south-east Louisiana and criminally charged pinch abusing his position arsenic a clergyman to prosecute activity pinch 3 spiritually susceptible female congregants faces being taken to proceedings connected each of those cases astatine once.
The Texas territory attorney’s agency prosecuting Anthony Odiong revenge a mobility seeking to consolidate nan 3 cases successful precocious March, up of a proceedings day that nan Guardian understands has tentatively been group for 4 May. Prepared by McLennan region first adjunct territory lawyer Ryan Calvert, nan mobility notes that Texas authorities rule allows “a suspect [to] beryllium prosecuted successful a azygous criminal action” if nan crimes alleged “are connected aliases … are nan repeated committee of nan aforesaid aliases akin offenses”.
And Calvert’s mobility maintains that each of nan 3 cases pending against Odiong involves his “exploiting his parishioners’ affectional dependency upon him arsenic a belief advisor and engaging successful intersexual behaviour pinch them”, behaviour which Texas rule classifies arsenic a felony.
Odiong tin entity to Calvert’s mobility successful favour of being tried connected each lawsuit individually. His defense attorney, Gerald Villarrial, declined to comment.
Calvert’s three-page mobility marked nan latest important move successful a high-stakes prosecution that authorities successful nan organization of Waco, Texas, undertook aft nan Guardian successful February 2024 published a report connected women who accused Odiong of intersexual coercion, unwanted rubbing and abusive financial power while connected nan timepiece arsenic a Catholic priest.
The suspect yet was charged pinch 5 counts of intersexual battle successful nan first grade and 2 specified counts successful nan second-degree stemming from encounters pinch 3 women. He could person a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted of immoderate of nan first-degree charges.
Investigators yet identified a full of 10 women whom Odiong is suspected of preying connected aft gathering them done his ministry successful Texas arsenic good arsenic nan Louisiana region including suburban New Orleans. The cases of galore of those women – including nan ones from Louisiana – did not consequence successful criminal charges.
But nan sheer number of accusers that came guardant against Odiong meant Texas prosecutors could legally prosecute him without information for really agelong agone immoderate of nan alleged crimes purportedly occurred. And immoderate of nan accusers whose allegations did not lead to criminal charges against Odiong tin beryllium called to attest successful support of nan 3 women whose cases Calvert’s agency wants to effort each astatine once.
Odiong’s tentative proceedings day looms arsenic nan worldwide Catholic religion for years has debated whether to grow nan meaning of a susceptible big successful nan discourse of clergy maltreatment to see adults nether nan belief authority of priests who past target them for intersexual contact.
At present, nan Catholic religion considers a susceptible big to beryllium anyone who is older than 18 and has “severe intelligence developmental aliases psychological disabilities”. Modern Vatican argumentation intelligibly defines intersexual misconduct pinch children aliases susceptible adults.
Leo XIV became history’s first US-born pope months aft McLennan revenge general charges against Odiong.
Odiong is 1 of respective men who person worked arsenic Catholic clergymen successful nan New Orleans area to person been arrested by authorities successful relationship pinch allegations of intersexual maltreatment some earlier and aft nan city’s archdiocese revenge for national bankruptcy protection successful 2020.
The New Orleans archdiocese and its insurers person since agreed to salary $305m collectively to settee pinch hundreds of clergy maltreatment survivors who became portion of nan bankruptcy case.
Odiong successful December 2024 declined an connection to plead blameworthy to nan criminal charges against him successful speech for nan chance to get parole aft accruing 20 years successful prison.
A period anterior to that, location had been a preliminary tribunal proceeding during which it was revealed that Odiong had violated Catholic priests’ committedness to believe intersexual celibacy by fathering astatine slightest 2 children pinch women whom he had met done his activity arsenic a clergyman.
While location is nary denotation that immoderate of nan 3 women astatine nan halfway of nan charges against Odiong are nan mothers of his children, authorities see nan priest’s offspring surviving impervious that he had a shape of pursuing women he met done his work.
Before he was charged, Odiong published an unfastened missive connected societal media dismissing nan claims made against him successful nan Guardian’s reporting arsenic a “false, salacious, one-sided smear campaign”.
