Fr. Michael J. Zacharias

Pastor of St. Michael’s in Findlay when arrested 8/18/2020 by the FBI on multiple charges of sex trafficking. He allegedly “manipulated and coerced drug-addicted boys and men into sex.” Per court records, Zacharias made a “confession video” in 2015 in which he performed oral sex on a then-adult victim. He admits to first meeting the victim when he was a seminarian and the boy was in 6th grade St. Catherine’s in Toledo. The boy became drug-addicted as a teen, and Zacharias offered him money for sex to feed his habit. A second young man told the FBI he met Zacharias in first grade at St. Catherine’s and that the priest began sexually abusing him as a teen, when he was drug-addicted. Zacharias was placed on leave by the Diocese. Convicted 5/12/2023 on charges related to three victims, all of whom he began grooming as young boys for “commercial sex acts.” All three developed addictions to opiates; Zacharias waited for them to become destabilized enough to propose the commercial sex involvement for money to purchase drugs. One told his parish pastor of the abuse while in 8th grade in 1999-2000, who told the boy “it was all in your head.” Sentenced in 11/2023 to life in prison. Laicization announced in 3/2024. In 7/2010 the Diocese agreed to pay the three victims a little more than $1M.