A federal jury on Friday convicted a Roman Catholic priest of five sex trafficking counts for molesting three teen-age boys he had met at a Toledo parochial school and then coercing them to continue sexual activity with him as adults.
According to witnesses during six days of trial testimony, the Rev. Michael J. Zacharias, 56, paid two of the boys thousands of dollars over a period of years to let him perform oral sex on them, and later paid at least one of them also to whip him repeatedly while requesting other forms of humiliation.
The priest engaged the third victim, who was a younger brother of one of the other two, when his older brother was serving a two-year prison sentence for burglary. All three had developed opiate drug addictions after taking painkillers for sports or bicycling injuries.
Father Zacharias sat quietly at the defense table as U.S. District Judge James Knepp II, sitting in for trial Judge Jack Zouhary, read the jury’s guilty verdicts for one count of sexual trafficking of a minor, two counts of sexual trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of sexual trafficking of an adult by force, fraud, or coercion.
The priest was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs thereafter, and after changing into an orange jail jumpsuit, he was taken to the Lucas County jail to await sentencing, the date for which was not announced.
“I’m thankful that the judicial system has removed an evil monster that preys on children, and he won’t be able to hurt another child or young adult,” the two brothers’ mother said outside the courtroom after the verdicts were read, then added, “He’s an evil man, and I will not let him ruin my faith in God.”
Like those of her sons and the other victim and his family, The Blade is withholding the mother’s name because of the crimes’ sexual nature.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo said in a statement it was now “free to address this matter according to canon law” and the case will be presented to the Holy See for final judgment.
Father Zacharias had been placed on administrative leave immediately after his Aug. 18, 2020, arrest.
“The acts of which Rev. Michael Zacharias has been found guilty are reprehensible, morally deplorable, and manifestly contrary to the dignity due to each human person and the dignity of the priesthood,” Bishop Daniel Thomas said in the statement. “The Church cannot and will not tolerate any such behavior and takes any sexual abuse or misconduct on the part of a cleric with the utmost seriousness.”
Claudia Vercellotti, a local leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said she was “grateful” both for the jury’s verdict and for the federal government “vigorously pursuing justice.”
She said the convictions also serve as “vicarious justice” for other abuse victims who never had a chance to tell their stories while being “a cautionary tale to every parent out there.”
The testifying victims and their families showed “a tremendous amount of courage and resilience,” and their testimony was “proof positive that you can heal and you can break the cycle of violence,” Ms. Vercellotti said.
“Father Zacharias’ reign of terror ended today and he will never hurt another child again,” she said. “We have put on notice those that prey on kids that times are different, and no matter your stature, you are not above the law. You do not get a free pass when it comes to sexually harming kids.”
Father Zacharias, who had worked several years as a manager and then regional manager at motels in northern Ohio before pursuing the priesthood, was a seminarian conducting his “pastoral year” when he met the older two of the three boys at St. Catherine of Siena School in West Toledo during the 1999-2000 school year.
The oldest, an eighth grader, said then-Mr. Zacharias sexually abused him several times on the St. Catherine’s grounds, then resumed contact with him as an adult. The older of the two brothers was a sixth grader at the time but said “Mr. Z” did not introduce a sexual component to his counseling until several years later, and that he finally gave in to the solicitation for the opportunity to perform oral sex because he needed the money for his family and his drug habit.
The younger brother said Father Zacharias targeted him for similar attention during his older brother’s prison time. The older brother, who had become drug-free in prison, relapsed into opiate use to varying degrees after his release and said he resumed visiting the priest in part because he believed he was protecting other potential victims.
Father Zacharias’ defense denied that any unlawful sexual contact occurred when any of the three were minors and maintained that everything occurring after they became adults was consensual. Sexual contacts between him and the victims occurred at parish residences at St. Peter’s Parish in Mansfield, Ohio, St. Mary’s in Van Wert, Ohio, St. Joseph’s in Fremont, and St. Michael the Archangel in Findlay, as well as at several private homes and a motel room in Monroe County.
The FBI became aware of potential sexual contact between the priest and the older brother in 2020 after the older brother was arrested in a drug sweep in Toledo and a cell-phone search turned up incriminating text messages.
Agents interviewed first the older brother and then his sibling before arresting Father Zacharias. They said publicity about the arrest resulted in a relative of the oldest victim contacting them afterward.
First Published May 12, 2023, 10:48 p.m.
