Ohio Priest Child Abuse
Title: Ohio priest indicted on charges of child pornography and juvenile sex trafficking, US attorney says
Author: Rob Frehse
Publisher: CNN
Date: 03JUL2020
(CNN)An Ohio priest who allegedly pretended to be a woman on social media to entice minor male victims has been indicted on child pornography, child exploitation and juvenile sex trafficking charges, a US attorney announced.
Robert D. McWilliams, 40, is charged with sex trafficking of a minor, sexual exploitation of children and transportation of child pornography among other charges, according to a news release from the US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
“Posing as a female, McWilliams allegedly enticed the minor male victims to send sexually explicit photographs and videos, sometimes threatening to expose embarrassing information McWilliams already knew about the victims if they did not send such images,” according to the news release.
CNN has reached out to McWilliams’ attorney for comment.
“At times, McWilliams is alleged to have threatened to send those photographs to family and friends if the minor male victims did not send additional photographs and videos,” the news release said.
McWilliams also allegedly carried through with that threat, “sending the mothers sexually explicit photographs he received from minor male victims,” according to the release.
The US Attorney’s Office alleges that some of McWilliams’ victims were young boys he knew through his work as a priest in parishes.
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