A former stripper who claims a priest paid her nearly $300,000 to be his secret sugar baby has been arrested for allegedly illegally practicing law.
Heather Jones, 33, asserted that Fr Robert ‘Bob’ Sullivan, 61, entered into a sexual relationship with her in 2009 after they met at a strip club when she was 17.
Their purported relationship concluded this year following her report of his alleged vow of celibacy breach to his church, Our Lady of Sorrows in Homewood, close to Birmingham, Alabama.
Sullivan is not facing any criminal charges, but took leave from his parish while church leaders consider his future.
Jones was arrested on August 21 and booked into the Marshall County Jail charged with practicing law without a license, a misdemeanor.
She was released the next day on $6,000 bail after she tested positive for meth. She listed herself as a ‘law student/advocate’ in court documents.
Marshall County District Attorney Jennifer Bray alleged Jones even tried to appear in court for her ‘client’, a 36-year-old drug user.
‘It’s someone that’s in our drug court program. He has quite the lengthy history,’ she said.
Heather Jones, 33, claimed that Fr. Robert ‘Bob’ Sullivan, 61, initiated a sexual relationship with her after meeting at a strip club where she danced at 17 in 2009.
Jones, 33, claimed Fr Robert ‘Bob’ Sullivan, 61, began a sexual relationship with her in 2009 after meeting her the a strip club when she was 17
‘She submitted some motions acting as an attorney, but she is not a lawyer. She filed motions for a hearing and even appeared in court attempting to argue as an attorney.’
Bray said Jones and the man ‘appeared to be in a relationship’ and she was giving him free legal assistance.
Jones got a psychology degree from Argosy University, a for-profit college that collapsed on March 8, 2019.
She refused to comment when local paper Advance Local called her about the charges.
Jones previously claimed the Sullivan gave her $273,000 and forced her to sign an NDA, which she broke to tell her story, she told The Guardian.
She told the newspaper during that interview that she was studying to become a lawyer.
Sullivan allegedly paid her a total of $120,000 via 125 Venmo transactions between July 18, 2024, to March 26, 2025.
Sullivan allegedly gave her $273,000 and coerced her into signing a non-disclosure agreement. Additionally, the Auburn University graduate paid her a total of $120,000 through 125 Venmo transactions from July 18, 2024, to March 26, 2025, as part of their sugar baby arrangement.
According to Jones, Sullivan, who was allegedly a frequent visitor at the club, proposed financial support in return for what he termed ‘private companionship,’ which Jones claims included sexual relations.
She also submitted a formal written statement to the Diocese of Birmingham, detailing the alleged years-long relationship with the priest, who was ordained in 1993.
‘I was a minor with no experience navigating adult relationships,’ Jones wrote in her statement.
She added that she felt compelled to speak out so many years later because Sullivan continued working closely with families and children as a pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood – about 5 miles outside Birmingham.
‘Others may be vulnerable to the same type of manipulation and exploitation,’ she told The Guardian.
Daily Mail contacted the church and Sullivan for comment.
Jones says she requested a revision to the NDA and an additional $100,000, arguing the original agreement, ‘heavily favored his interests and offered no meaningful protection, healing or justice’.
But, she said her request was ignored and ultimately chose to violate the NDA, stating she believed ‘it would not hold up in court’.
Their relationship ended this year after she reported his vow betrayal to his church, Our Lady of Sorrows in Homewood (pictured)
Jones, who recently began law school, said she could provide additional evidence, such as phone records and photos if requested by investigators.
The Auburn University graduate has since taken a ‘personal leave,’ announcing on August 3 that he would be absent after ‘after prayer and reflection’.
Bishop Steven Raica of the Diocese of Birmingham later confirmed in a letter to parishioners that Sullivan had been placed on leave set to begin on August 4 and that the matter had been referred to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
‘Father Sullivan was granted a leave of absence and is currently removed from all priestly service pending the outcome of the investigation,’ Raica wrote to the diocese.
The Diocese also reported the allegations to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. However, the DHR eventually determined the claims did not meet the criteria for an investigation.
Alabama law allows individuals aged 16 and older to legally consent to sex, and the state does not have laws specifically prohibiting clergy from engaging in sexual relationships with adult congregants under their spiritual care, according to the Alabama DHR.
However, under Catholic canon law, anyone under 18 is considered a minor, and sexual contact with them is considered abusive.
According to Jones, Sullivan – then allegedly a regular patron at the club – offered her financial support in exchange for what he described as ‘private companionship,’ a term Jones says included sex
The Church began enforcing such rules more strictly in the early 2000s following widespread clergy abuse scandals.
Diocese spokesperson Donald Carson said that while civil authorities may not pursue the matter, Sullivan is prohibited from public ministry pending the outcome of the Church’s internal investigation.
‘We keep Father Sullivan and the woman who’s making the allegations certainly in our prayers,’ Carson said.
The bishop also revealed the church had no plans on revealing Sullivan’s reason for a leave of absence until after the investigation was complete – as is policy. However, he changed course after The Guardian article was published.
Raica wrote in a statement to the diocese that Sullivan had ‘a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise’ as the investigations pending against him progressed.
‘Anyone accused in the Church possesses a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, equivalent to the right granted in civil law,’ he wrote to the diocese.
Following Sullivan’s ‘absence,’ Birmingham diocese vicar general Kevin Bazzel told congregants on Sunday that Raica had appointed him as Our Lady of Sorrows’ temporary administrator in Sullivan’s absence.
