Anthony Odiong is accused of sexual assault by at least eight women whom the priest had been counseling

Anthony Odiong is accused of sexual assault by at least eight women whom the priest had been counseling

The criminal case that authorities are building against a Roman Catholic priest accused of preying on women whom he met while working in south-east Louisiana and Texas is progressing, with a grand jury in the latter state indicting him on three felony sexual assault charges.

Anthony Odiong, 55, faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault as well as one of first-degree sexual assault in the charges handed up against him recently in the McLennan county, Texas, state court.

The charges against Odiong – who was first arrested in July – involve two women. He could receive up to life imprisonment if convicted of the first-degree charge, a stiffer penalty that stems from the fact that the alleged victim in the case was a woman whom Odiong was prohibited from “marrying or purporting to marry” under Texas law. The second-degree counts each carry up to 20 years in prison in what is one of only about a dozen states with a law that criminalizes sexual activity between clergymen and adults who emotionally depend on their spiritual advice.

  • RiskableEnglish
    20•3 days ago

    Don’t ever change, Catholic Church. More and more people are starting to catch on. In 100 years there might not be a Catholic Church anymore and the world will be better for it.

    This headline could’ve appeared every month for the past 2000 years. It’s just that only in modern times are priests and pastors facing actual consequences.

    • @[email protected]English
      10•3 days ago

      Don’t ever change, Catholic Church

      I would accept them changing to "non-existent " status.

  • DominusOfMegadeus
    21•3 days ago

    These do not seem like laws that would be on the books or enforced in Texas. Quelle surprise.

    • Optional
      3•3 days ago

      Well . . . there’s a . . . special . . uh, clause . . no, an . . uh . . “X factor” if you will. A “suprise element” to the law. An . . . extra layer, say, of jurisprudence in this case that the AG’s office of the very not-impeached-for-corruption Ken Paxton has elected to enforce, as they say in court filings, “with prejudice”.

      Now, should there be . . . other? . . . Catholic priests who are - let’s say, hypothetically, just for the sake of argument here - who are perhaps under investigation for the same or worse crimes - well, now. That would all depend wouldn’t it. In Texas. Or, possibly Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky or . . .“Other”.

      • chingadera
        4•3 days ago

        commas are real good for this kind of thing

  • nkat2112English
    13•3 days ago

    Preying on vulnerable women.

    This trait appears to be so common in religious institutions.

    How horrible.

  • AmidFuror
    1•3 days ago

    In Mbin this is “related” to the Cheney-Thomas article and displays Liz’s picture.