A former Catholic priest who transitioned to administrative roles under two past governors of Louisiana has been apprehended in connection with allegations of kidnapping and raping a vulnerable young parishioner in New Orleans approximately twenty years ago.
Mark Francis Ford, aged 64, was arrested in Indiana on Thursday, following accusations that trace back to his tenure at a Roman Catholic church in New Orleans.
The alleged victim, now 31 years old, claims that Ford began abusing him in 2004 when he was merely 10 years old, after meeting the Vincentian priest through a program aimed at helping children with disabilities.
The specifics of the abuse remain unclear, but the victim — who is under permanent guardianship of his mother — reported that the abuse persisted until around 2022 or 2023, long after Ford had departed from the priesthood to pursue a career in government.
The alleged victim suffers from a degenerative spinal condition, at times necessitating the use of a wheelchair, and is also on the autism spectrum, which legally categorizes him as a minor, as stated by his attorney Kristi Schubert in an interview with The Guardian.
He only recently came forward with the abuse allegations.
According to Schubert, her client underwent several forensic interviews, leading to the police obtaining a warrant for Ford’s arrest.
Due to his relocation out of state, Ford’s arrest necessitated coordinated efforts from multiple law enforcement agencies, which continue to work together to extradite him back to New Orleans.
During his 16-year tenure in the Catholic priesthood, Ford notably engaged with indigenous communities in Arizona before serving at two churches in New Orleans, as detailed in his biography on the American Indian Center’s site.
Ford began his career in public service as Louisiana’s assistant director of disability affairs under then-governor Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat, starting in 2006. In this role, he assisted individuals with disabilities in accessing limited resources in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
In 2008, he was appointed to lead Louisiana’s office of Indian affairs under Blanco’s successor, Republican Bobby Jindal, aiding indigenous tribes as they rebuilt following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, as per his LinkedIn profile.
His most recent position was as the director of community engagement for native and tribal communities at Feeding America, according to his LinkedIn. The Post has sought comment from Feeding America regarding Ford’s arrest.
Ford is facing charges including first-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, sexual battery, and indecent behavior with a juvenile. If convicted of the rape charge, he could face a life sentence, with additional years added for the other charges.
In recent years, the Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans has been embroiled in a scandal surrounding sexual abuse, which has led to its filing for federal bankruptcy protection in 2020 to limit its financial risks related to numerous claims of clergy abuse spanning decades.
As the situation unfolded, the archdiocese agreed to a settlement of $230 million to compensate abuse survivors, though the agreement is pending approval from the survivors involved.
