A Western New York priest on administrative leave for nearly seven years is facing child pornography charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Officials say Fr. Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, was arrested following a search of his home Wednesday morning, where federal agents allegedly found multiple devices containing videos of children being sexually abused. One, they say, was hidden inside of a Bible case.
Court documents show Nowak told agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation he accessed several online platforms to view child pornography, sometimes multiple times a day.
He is charged with receipt and criminal possession of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released a statement saying they just learned about the allegations and they plan to cooperate with law enforcement:
“Jeffrey Nowak was placed on permanent leave in 2019 and has not been permitted to function as a priest since then. We are not aware of any attempt by law-enforcement officials to contact the diocese regarding these allegations. In fact, the diocese has just learned of the allegations against him and will cooperate fully with any inquiry by law enforcement officials.”
Nowak was placed on permanent leave from the ministry at Our Lady of Help Christians in Cheektowaga in 2019.
A man studying at the former Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora had previously accused Nowak of sexual harassment and retaliation.
Nowak is set to appear in federal court Thursday morning.