Ex-Strongsville Priest Sentenced To Life For Child Sex Crimes

STRONGSVILLE, OH — A former Strongsville priest was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes against children.

Robert D. McWilliams, 41, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Sara Lioi. McWilliams previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of child pornography and more.

“Using his role in the Church, Mr. McWilliams violated the sacrament of confession to identify potential victims, and offered religious counseling to victims he extorted under alter egos he intentionally created to conceal his own identity. He also used social media to target and entice young children into the exploitive world of juvenile sex trafficking, all after having already amassed a large collection of violent child pornography," said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan.

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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) applauded Lioi's sentencing, but noted sadly how McWilliams' actions will continue to impact others.

"Sadly, Fr. McWilliams' victims too will have a life sentence. They are the ones who truly need both sympathy and care. We understand the pain and confusion the victims may be experiencing, and we encourage them to seek help," the organization said in a statement sent to Patch.

McWilliams pretended to be a woman online and then had sexually explicit chats with juvenile boys, court documents said. Some of McWilliams' victims were boys he knew because he served as a priest in their parishes, the court documents said.

While posing as a woman, McWilliams would entice the boys into sending explicit photographs and videos of themselves, prosecutors said. He would occasionally threaten to expose embarrassing information about the boys if they did not send the images, court documents said. Some of the boys' mothers did receive explicit photos and videos of their children from McWilliams, prosecutors said.

The affidavit against McWilliams alleges that he was in possession of or distributed approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography.

The priest is also accused of using Grindr.com to meet up with a juvenile boy and pay for sex, prosecutors said. McWilliams reportedly met with a teenager multiple times and paid the teenager for sex each time, court documents said.

“Mr. McWilliams used his position and reputation as a priest to meet and earn the trust of these children, only to betray that trust in the worst way possible for his own twisted gratification,” said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender. “HSI Detroit has several teams of agents and forensic interviewers throughout the region who work with state and local partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify individuals who exploit the communities’ trust.”