Ohio Catholic Priest Found Guilty On Child Sex Charges

May 12, 2023 Crime, Religion

The Mansfield News Journal reports:

Guilty on all five counts was the verdict Friday in the federal sex-trafficking trial of the Rev. Michael Jude Zacharias, a Roman Catholic priest who has led parishes in Mansfield and Fremont. The jury’s decision was announced a little before 5 p.m. Friday. Zacharias, 56, was found guilty of all five counts of sex trafficking, two of which involved victims who were minors. The allegations spanned 15 years, from July 2005 to August 2020.

Zacharias had taken the witness stand on Wednesday and admitted to having had sexual relations with several men but maintained that the sex never involved anyone younger than 18. A nine-page affidavit that had been filed in federal court accused Zacharias of “grooming” victims to use their drug addiction as a way to perform sexual acts on them. Zacharias testified that he never knew the men had drug problems or that the money he gave them would be used to buy illegal drugs.

Toledo’s ABC affiliate reports:

The first victim was allegedly abused as a Catholic school student in Toledo while Zacharias was in seminary school, with Zacharias paying the victim so Zacharias could perform oral sex on him. The relationship continued through adulthood and through Zacharias moving to Van Wert, Fremont, and Findlay, including once when the victim was allegedly paid $1,500 for allowing Zacharias to perform oral sex at the rectory of a parish in Van Wert.

Zacharias and the victim made numerous videos, some depicting sex acts and others called “confession videos,” where Zacharias, dressed in his priest attire, confessed to grooming and performing oral sex on the victim. Those videos have been viewed by FBI agents, according to the complaint.

A second victim named in the complaint also told the FBI that he had met Zacharias while a grade school student at a Catholic school in Toledo, with the abuse beginning during the victim’s ninth-grade year.

From the Toledo Diocese:



We invite all to pray for those affected by this case and that truth and justice will be served. The Diocese of Toledo remains vigilant in ensuring the protection of children and providing a safe environment for all young people, as well as ensuring the dignity and integrity of the priesthood.

The Diocese remains vigilant in ensuring the protection of children and providing a safe environment for all young people, as well as ensuring the dignity and integrity of the priesthood.

Any allegations of sexual abuse by a priest, deacon, staff member or volunteer affiliated with the Diocese of Toledo should first be reported to local law enforcement where the abuse is alleged to have occurred. Please also report any such allegation to the diocesan victim assistance coordinator at 419-214-4880.

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