He could receive a maximum of life imprisonment if convicted of any of the first-degree charges. The cases of many of those women – including the ones from Louisiana – did not result in criminal charges. But the sheer number of accusers that came forward against Odiong meant Texas prosecutors could legally pursue him without consideration for how long ago some of the alleged crimes purportedly occurred. Leo XIV became history’s first US-born pope months after McLennan filed formal charges against Odiong. Odiong in December 2024 declined an offer to plead guilty to the criminal charges against him in exchange for the chance to get parole after accruing 20 years in prison.

Source: The Guardian April 05, 2026 15:31 UTC