Father Romannilo (Nilo) Apura
Diocese of Trenton
Ordained: 1975
Arrested: 2014
Convicted/sentenced: 2015
Released from custody: 2017
Assigned as follows:
- St. Joachim (Trenton, NJ)
- St. Agnes (Atlantic Highlands, NJ)
- St. Maximilian Kolbe (Toms River, NJ)
- Our Lady of Good Counsel (Moorestown, NJ)
- St. Ann (Keansburg, NJ)
- St. Mary (Trenton, NJ)
- St. Martha (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Romannilo (Nilo) Apura:
According to media reports, in 2014 Fr. Romannilo Apura was arrested for fondling and attempting to remove the pants of a 16-year-old parishioner. After the alleged incident, the victim’s family filed a restraining order against Apura which barred the priest from contacting the victim, the victim’s family, or having any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.
Apura, now a registered sex offender, served as the pastor to St. Martha’s Parish in Point Pleasant, New Jersey at the time of the crime. According to the victim, the abuse took place at the victim’s family home in Trenton, New Jersey.
The Trenton police department charged Apura with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, one count of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, and one count of fourth-degree attempts to commit sexual contact. During his evaluation at the state Corrections Department of Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Apura plead guilty to aggravated unlawful sexual contact.
Apura’s attorney pushed the jury for a non-jail affiliated sentence due to Apura’s age however the prosecutor argued that Apura had taken advantage of the victim, violated the family’s trust, and should be subject to harsher punishment for his crimes. He was sentenced to three years in a specialized treatment facility for sex offenders.
Apura’s name appears on the Diocese of Trenton’s February 2019 list of credibly accused priests, but no details are offered as to the allegation that led to his inclusion on the list. It is not clear if it the same allegation that led to his prosecution, or a second one.
Apura was released from custody in November 2017. He is NOT a registered sex offender in the United States. He is believed to either be residing in the Toms River, New Jersey area, or has returned to his native Philippines.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Trenton in New Jersey. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in New Jersey, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Trenton now have legal options, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in New Jersey and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.