LACKAWANNA (NY)
The Scottish Sun [Glasgow, Scotland]
August 11, 2026
By Stuart MacDonald
INFORMATION given to the FBI by police in Scotland has led to the high-profile arrest of an American priest on child sex abuse charges.
Father Jeffrey Nowak is facing up to 20 years in prison over his alleged involvement in an online group of paedophiles.
The US Department of Justice said the FBI started investigating the clergyman, of Lackawanna, New York, after they were given a tip-off by officers in Scotland.
They said “law enforcement in Scotland” were probing a group on the Telegram app whose members participated in group Zoom calls during which members were observed viewing and sharing indecent images of children.
Investigators linked one of the participants to the username PigBoy666, which was later identified as Nowak.
Last month the FBI raided Nowak’s home, during which investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a cell phone, laptop, iPad, a USB storage device, and suspected narcotics.
An initial review of the electronics, including the USB storage device, recovered several folders containing child sex images.
Nowak, 46, a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo, has appeared in court and was remanded in custody to await trial.
Michael DiGiacomo, of the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, said: “Defendants like Jeffrey Nowak go to great lengths, and in this case great distances, to hide their criminal behaviour.
“Once in a position of trust, Nowak hid behind a keyboard and took part in the tragic exploitation of one of society’s most vulnerable populations, our children.
“Nowak has now been exposed and can no longer hide and will be held accountable for his disgraceful behaviour.”
Allen D. Davis II, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office, said the operation showed the strength of international partnerships.
He said: “A lot of times someone may be detected committing a crime that is in a different country. They don’t get a free pass so when that happens we all work together to get that information where it needs to go so that person can be charged.
“This investigation is another example of the strength of our partnerships. Working alongside our international law enforcement partners we followed the evidence wherever it led.”
He added: “Crimes involving the receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material are among the most disturbing offenses the FBI investigates.
“It is especially troubling when the crime is allegedly committed by a trusted leader of faith.
“Criminals who receive, possess, or distribute this material fuel the continued exploitation of innocent children. No position of trust, title, or status will shield anyone from accountability.”
Nowak was placed on “administrative leave” by the Catholic Church in 2019 following allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a student priest.
The FBI conducted an investigation at the time but no criminal charges were brought.
The Diocese of Buffalo said they were in the process of submitting a case to the Vatican to have Nowak defrocked.
In a statement, they said: “In light of the abhorrent criminal conduct recently alleged by federal investigators, the Diocese is no longer providing any financial support to Rev. Nowak, who remains incarcerated pending his trial.
“Moreover, Bishop Fisher has now instructed the Diocese’s Judicial Vicar to gather the necessary documentation based on these latest allegations to petition the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to dismiss Jeffrey Nowak from the clerical state.”