Greek Orthodox Minister Charged for Online Sex Ad

COLUMBUS — A Greek Orthodox minister appeared in court Thursday morning on charges of attempted rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

According to the Franklin County Sheriff, 56-year-old Patrick Hughes, placed an ad online wanting ”taboo sex – no age restrictions” and that he thought he was meeting a 14-year-old and 9-year-old boys.

He was caught and arrested at 7 p.m. Thursday night as part of a Franklin County on-line sex sting.

Hughes is part of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbus which is across from the convention center.

According to the cathedral’s website, it has about 800 families on its mailing list and an annual budget of over one million dollars.

When contacting the cathedral for comment, they were unaware of the arrest.