A Catholic priest-turned-government official has been arrested in Indiana on charges of raping and kidnapping a vulnerable parishioner in New Orleans nearly two decades ago.
Mark Francis Ford, 64, was taken into custody Thursday on a Louisiana warrant tied to accusations that he abused a 10-year-old boy he met in 2004 through a church program for children with disabilities. The victim, now 31, says the abuse stretched on for years — even into 2022 or 2023 — long after Ford had left the priesthood for political and nonprofit work.
The man, whose name has not been publicly released, lives with a degenerative spinal condition and is on the autism spectrum. Because of his disabilities, he is legally considered a minor despite his age, according to his attorney, Kristi Schubert. She said he came forward only recently, underwent multiple forensic interviews, and provided enough detail for police to secure an arrest warrant.
Ford’s arrest required coordination across multiple agencies, and officials are now working to extradite him back to New Orleans.
Before leaving the church, Ford spent 16 years as a Vincentian priest, serving on Native American reservations in Arizona and later at two parishes in New Orleans. His career then shifted to government roles: in 2006, he became Louisiana’s assistant director of disability affairs under Governor Kathleen Blanco, where he helped residents with disabilities navigate post-Katrina challenges. Two years later, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal appointed him to lead the state’s Office of Indian Affairs, where he worked with tribal communities recovering from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Most recently, Ford worked with Feeding America as director of community engagement for Native and tribal communities, according to his LinkedIn page. The nonprofit has not yet commented on the arrest.
Ford now faces charges of first-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, sexual battery, and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The rape charge alone carries a potential life sentence if he is convicted.
The arrest comes as the Catholic Church in New Orleans continues to reckon with a sweeping abuse scandal. In 2020, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy following revelations that church leaders shielded abusive clergy for decades. Earlier this year, the archdiocese agreed to a proposed $230 million settlement with abuse survivors — one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. — though final approval is still pending.