A Catholic priest is under investigation for allegedly starting a years-long relationship with a 17-year-old stripper — and paying her hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep quiet about it.
Robert Sullivan, 61, is on leave as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood, Alabama, after he was publicly accused of initiating a relationship with Heather Jones, now 33, when she was a vulnerable teenager in 2009.
Jones said in a letter to the Diocese of Birmingham — and shared with the Guardian — that she first met Sullivan while she was dancing at a strip club he frequented.
While tipping her, he offered her $273,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for “an ongoing relationship that would include financial support in exchange for private companionship,” Jones alleged, telling the Guardian that the agreement included sex.
Jones, who was raised in foster care due to her mother’s “severe neglect,” said she “was hesitant but ultimately agreed due to his persistence and the state [of mind] I was in,” according to her letter to the diocese.
Days later, she received two wire transfers of $136,500 each under the name of an attorney’s office, she alleged.
Sullivan, initially posing as a doctor, took her out to shop, eat, drink and stay at hotels in at least six different Alabama cities over the course of the relationship, which lasted until this year, she alleged.
The priest bought her a phone and even paid for her to go to rehab while she suffered from addiction and depression, the accuser claimed.
Between just July 18, 2024, and March this year, a Venmo account under Jones’ name had paid Jones almost $120,000, she told the Guardian.
Jones said she felt compelled to go public with the allegations because Sullivan works so closely with families and their children at his church.
“Others may be vulnerable to the same type of manipulation and exploitation,” she told the paper.
Sullivan has been a priest for more than 32 years and was formerly president of John Carroll High School for six years, according to Al.com.
He announced on Aug. 2 that he was taking personal leave as pastor.
Bishop Steven Raica, head of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, addressed the allegations in a letter to the diocese this week, noting there is not enough evidence for a criminal investigation into Sullivan’s conduct.
“While the Alabama Department of Human Resources determined that the allegations did not match the requirements for opening an investigation, a diocese investigation was initiated, again, according to Church law and our diocesan policies and guidelines,” Raica wrote.
“Our diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator has continued to be in contact with the woman who brought forth the allegations and has provided appropriate support.”
The allegations are being reported to the Vatican, the bishop said.
