BUFFALO (NY)
West Seneca Bee / Bee Group Newspapers [Williamsville NY]
July 26, 2026
A Diocese of Buffalo priest and inactive pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Cheektowaga has been arrested and charged with receipt and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Thursday, July 9.
Assemblyman Pat Burke is calling for an independent New York State Police investigation into the Diocese of Buffalo following the federal arrest of a suspended Catholic priest on child pornography charges.
Burke, who represents parts of West Seneca, Buffalo and Lackawanna, sent a letter Wednesday to State Police Major Amie Feroleto urging the agency to launch a statewide investigation into the diocese and consider creating a specialized unit focused on institutional child sexual abuse and efforts to conceal it.
The request follows the July 9 arrest of Rev. Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, who is charged in federal court with receipt and possession of child pornography. Nowak has been on administrative leave from the Diocese of Buffalo since 2019 after allegations of improper conduct surfaced.
Investigators found that Nowak had an email address called “pigboybuffalo@gmail.com” and had access to a New Zealand-based digital storage and file-hosting website/application, which contained photos and video files of sexually exploited children.
In his letter, Burke said the arrest raises broader questions about how allegations of abuse have been handled within the diocese over the years.
“The Diocese of Buffalo represents one of the largest clergy abuse scandals in the world, yet Fr. Nowak’s arrest is the first criminal prosecution to emerge after decades of documented abuse, civil litigation, investigative reporting, bankruptcy proceedings and the Diocese’s own acknowledgment that numerous priests were credibly accused of abusing children,” Burke wrote.
He said the current system has failed many survivors and argued an independent investigation is needed to determine whether warning signs were missed or ignored.
Burke also noted that he was the first elected official to publicly call for the resignation of then-Bishop Richard Malone in 2018, saying at the time that the public had “only scratched the surface of the problem.”
While Burke said his request is not directed specifically at the Catholic Church, he argued the church’s centralized structure can make it difficult for separate local investigations to identify broader patterns of misconduct.
Federal prosecutors have alleged evidence recovered from Nowak’s residence included child sexual abuse material, messages threatening family members and other disturbing online communications. Prosecutors requested that Nowak remain in custody following his initial court appearance.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Diocese of Buffalo said it is fully cooperating with federal, state and local law enforcement.