Jeffrey Nowak (also referred to as Fr. Jeffrey Nowak), 46, of Lackawanna, New York, is a priest of the Diocese of Buffalo who has been on administrative leave since August 2019. He was formerly pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Cheektowaga.

 Background and prior issues

In 2019 the diocese placed him on indefinite administrative leave after allegations of inappropriate contact with children and sexual harassment/blackmailing of a seminarian (Matthew Bojanowski). The diocese stated that the 2019 complaints did not include allegations of sexual abuse of a minor or possession of child pornography at that time; he was removed from active ministry and later from the office of pastor. He remained on a reduced stipend until the 2026 arrest.

 2026 federal charges

On July 8, 2026, Nowak was arrested by the FBI and charged by criminal complaint in the Western District of New York with receipt and possession of child pornography. These charges carry a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Key points from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and related court proceedings:

- An email address linked to him ([email protected]) had previously been associated with access to a New Zealand cloud storage site containing files of sexually exploited children (investigated 2019–2021; no CSAM recovered on that warrant; case closed in 2023).

- The investigation was reopened in March 2026 after a referral from Scottish law enforcement involving a Telegram group whose members participated in Zoom calls involving viewing and sharing of child pornography. One participant used the username PigBoy666, later identified as Nowak.

- On July 8, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at his residence. They seized a cell phone, laptop, iPad, a USB storage device (reportedly found in a Bible case), and suspected narcotics. An initial review recovered several folders containing videos of child pornography.

 Court hearing details (July 13, 2026)

At a detention hearing, prosecutors described additional findings from the search and statements attributed to Nowak:

- Agents found him naked; he allegedly admitted being high on crystal methamphetamine and viewing child pornography that morning.

- Pieces of crystal meth were found stored in a chalice that also contained Communion hosts (Blessed Sacrament), along with other drug paraphernalia.

- He was ordered held without bond pending trial based on the nature of the offense and evidence presented.

The Diocese of Buffalo has stated he has not functioned as a priest since 2019, is no longer receiving financial support, and remains incarcerated. The case is ongoing.

Pray for all involved, especially the underage victims.   It is just disturbing that this man was allowed to be ordained and shows the weakness in screenings at seminaries.  The possession of child porn is evil, but there is another level of evil when a priest places drugs in a ciborium with the Consecrated hosts.  This is just demonic.  We at Sacerdotus accept all the teachings of the Church, including on the death penalty, but in our opinion, the death penalty is warranted for this disgusting pig.  

Sources:

 (public reporting): 

U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of New York press release (July 8, 2026); contemporaneous coverage from News 4 Buffalo / WIVB, LifeSiteNews (citing court statements), 

National Catholic Register, and related outlets.