An Ohio priest, who was arrested in 2020, was found guilty by a federal jury of sex trafficking of a minor and now faces up to life in prison.

Michael J. Zacharias, 56, of Findlay, Ohio, which is about 45 miles south of Toledo, was charged with five sex trafficking charges, including of a minor and of an adult by force, fraud, coercion or enticement.

The Department of Justice said Zacharias, a priest at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Findlay, Ohio, who was ordained in 2002, was convicted of trafficking three victims when they were minors and adults.

The jury was presented evidence in court showing how he met the victims when they were young. At the time, Zacharias was in Seminary school at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish School in Toledo.

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A criminal complaint said investigators are aware that his alleged sexual conduct with minors goes back to the late 1990s.

Zacharias started grooming the victims for commercial sex acts when they were young, the DOJ said, and used his position as a priest and teacher to integrate himself into the boys’ lives as a person of trust.

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Eventually the victims gave into Zacharias and conversations turned sexual before he became sexual with the boys.

Also, during that time, all three boys developed addictions to opiates, starting out first with pain medications, then later, heroin.

Testimony provided by the victims during the trial showed how easy it was for them to submit to Zacharias. The boys feared losing him as a father figure and friend, but also feared losing their connection to God and going through opioid withdrawal because Zacharias was giving them money to buy drugs.

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One of the victims testified that he was afraid Zacharias would sexually abuse his brother, who was not only one of the victims but also a minor, and others if he did not comply with the defendant’s demands to provide sexual services for money.

"This defendant betrayed the victims in the most inhumane way," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. "He robbed them of their childhood, their dignity and their faith. He inflicted cruel psychological harm, preying on their fears and forcing them to choose between submitting to commercial sex acts, or incurring the pain of losing a father figure or counselor, suffering withdrawal sickness, and risking sexual abuse of a loved one."

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A sentencing date has not been set for Zacharias, but according to the DOJ, he faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.

John Travolta paid tribute to his late wife Kelly Preston on Mother's Day.

The 69-year-old actor posted a throwback video of the actress opening a gift on a previous Mother's Day. Preston and Travolta were married for 28 years until the actress's death at the age of 57 after a two-year battle with breast cancer in July 2020.

"Happy Mother's Day Kelly. We miss you and love you! Love, Ben, Ella and John," the "Grease" star captioned the clip, referring to their daughter Ella, 23, and son Ben, 12.

In the short video, Preston beamed as she peered inside a white box that was decorated with blue flowers and block letters that spelled out the word "Mom."

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"Oh my God!" the "Jerry Maguire" star said. 

"But first I want to hold it like this," she continued as she picked up the box and turned to display it for camera with a wide smile.

"Ok," Travolta said as he filmed his spouse.

The "Grease" star announced the news of his wife’s death in an Instagram post in 2020.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer," Travolta wrote.

"She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many," he added. "My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side."

In addition to Ella and Ben, Travolta and Preston also shared son Jett, who died at the age of 16 in 2009 after suffering a seizure during a family vacation to Grand Bahama Island.

Since Preston and Jett's passing, Travolta has honored their memories on special occasions. Last October, he shared a tribute to Preston on what would have been her 60th birthday.

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"Happy birthday to my favorite dance partner! We love you and miss you Kelly," he wrote alongside a throwback photo of the couple embracing at a red carpet event.

In April 2022, Travolta honored Jett on the day that he would have celebrated his 30th birthday. The New Jersey native shared a black-and-white throwback photo in which Travolta was seen smiling while hugging a young Jett.

"My dearest Jetty, I miss you more than words can say. I think about you everyday. Happy Birthday. Love, your Dad," Travolta wrote in the caption.

Ella commented on the "Gotti" actor's tribute to Jett, writing, "Happy Birthday Jetty, we love you so much."