Ohio Priest Receives Life Sentence for Sex Trafficking and Child Abuse

A Roman Catholic priest in Ohio, Michael Zacharias, has been sentenced to life in prison for sex-trafficking charges related to the molestation of three boys he met at a preschool. Prosecutors stated that Zacharias coerced the victims into continuing sexual activity as adults, using fear and drug addiction as leverage. The priest maintained his innocence, claiming that the sexual contact occurred when the boys were adults and was consensual. The Roman Catholic diocese of Toledo, which placed Zacharias on administrative leave after his arrest, supports the sentencing and has presented a case for defrocking him to the Holy See.