A former San Clemente pastor was sentenced to a year behind bars today for kissing and touching a 14-year-old he called "the most bootylicious girl I know."
Maffey met the girl when she was 8 or 9 years old through his job at San Clemente's Apostolic Christian Church. He began "grooming the victim by spending time alone with her while the victim was volunteering in the church office," prosecutors said.
From May to August 2008, the defendant violated his position of trust by engaging in illegal sexual contact with the girl, prosecutors said.
"On multiple occasions, Maffey kissed [her] on the mouth while the two were alone after prayer service or in the church office," prosecutors said. He also stroked her thigh and patted her butt, the prosecution said.
In addition, Maffey sent numerous emails to the victim to arrange future meetings and disclose his sexual urges. Maffey called the 14-year-old "the most bootylicious girl I know," prosecutors said.
The victim’s mother discovered some of the emails and contacted the church. The church contacted police.
http://sanclemente.patch.com/articles/ex-pastor-maffey-gets-1-year-sentence-for-lewd-conduct
Saturday, April 16, 2011
California Christian university coach arrested for luring 'teen' to have sex
30-year-old Kyle James Kvasnicka, from Laguna, California, was arrested on April 8 on suspicion of Internet Luring of a Child, according to the District Attorney's Office in Jefferson County.
Kvasnicka allegedly engaged in sexually graphic communication with someone he believed to be an underage girl in a Colorado online chat room. He is also accused of asking the person he believed to be a teenager to meet with him to have sex.
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-california-christian-university-coach-arrested-for-luring-teen-to-have-sex-20110413,0,1456429.story
Kvasnicka allegedly engaged in sexually graphic communication with someone he believed to be an underage girl in a Colorado online chat room. He is also accused of asking the person he believed to be a teenager to meet with him to have sex.
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-california-christian-university-coach-arrested-for-luring-teen-to-have-sex-20110413,0,1456429.story
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Court Threatens to Revoke Tele-Evangelist's Bail
Lagos — An Ikeja High Court judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade, has threatened to vacate the bail earlier granted a tele-evangelist and head, Genesis Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ, Alagbado, Lagos, Israel Ola-Ogundipe, on technical grounds
The pastor is standing trial over N17 million fraud allegations. He was said to have swindled a London-based architect, Mrs. Oladele Williams-Oni, the said sum when she went to the pastor's church for spiritual help.
In her evidence before Justice Olabisi Akinlade, the plaintiff said that Pastor Ola-Ogundipe wanted to swindle her of her landed property and that she had entrusted the accused person with her money to procure some landed property on her behalf because she thought he was a 'good pastor.'
http://allafrica.com/stories/201104060678.html
The pastor is standing trial over N17 million fraud allegations. He was said to have swindled a London-based architect, Mrs. Oladele Williams-Oni, the said sum when she went to the pastor's church for spiritual help.
In her evidence before Justice Olabisi Akinlade, the plaintiff said that Pastor Ola-Ogundipe wanted to swindle her of her landed property and that she had entrusted the accused person with her money to procure some landed property on her behalf because she thought he was a 'good pastor.'
http://allafrica.com/stories/201104060678.html
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Former Catholic priest to face crown court over child sex charges
Alexander Bede Walsh, aged 57, of Church Lane, Abbots Bromley, faces six charges under the Sexual Offences Act.
The allegations involve three boys under the age of 14 between 1974 and 1984 and are said to have been committed at Coventry and Coleshill, in Warwickshire,
He will appear at the crown court on April 15.
Walsh has already been sent to the court accused of 19 sexual abuse offences involving young boys many of which are alleged to have been committed at Cheadle and Cotton.
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Catholic-priest-face-crown-court-child-sex-charges/article-3430199-detail/article.html
The allegations involve three boys under the age of 14 between 1974 and 1984 and are said to have been committed at Coventry and Coleshill, in Warwickshire,
He will appear at the crown court on April 15.
North Staffordshire Magistrates bailed the defendant.
Walsh has already been sent to the court accused of 19 sexual abuse offences involving young boys many of which are alleged to have been committed at Cheadle and Cotton.
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Catholic-priest-face-crown-court-child-sex-charges/article-3430199-detail/article.html
Priest accused of inappropriate relationship with boy arraigned on charges
BRADFORD -- A suspended priest in the Catholic Diocese of Erie is free on bond and awaits an April 20 court hearing to face charges related to an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old boy.
The Rev. Samuel B. Slocum, 59, surrendered to law enforcement on Friday and was arraigned before Bradford District Judge Richard W. Luther Jr. on charges of interference with the custody of children, concealment of the whereabouts of a child, corruption of minors, defiant trespass and loitering and prowling at nighttime.
Police accuse Slocum, who serves two McKean County parishes, of allowing a 15-year-old boy to visit his residence in Lewis Run, south of Bradford, after the boy's mother had forbidden it. He is also accused of lying to the boy's mother when she asked if he had visited Slocum's residence, and of going to the boy's home to drop off an item.
Trooper Daniel Woods, who filed the charges against Slocum, said the boy's mother gave him iPhones, an iPod and an Apple laptop computer that she said Slocum had given to her son to use in communicating with him via Facebook, e-mail and text messages.
Investigators seized other computers, as well as a digital camera and a cellular telephone, when they served search warrants on Slocum's residences in Lewis Run and in Cyclone, southeast of Bradford, on March 29 and 30, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110409/NEWS02/304089909/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
The Rev. Samuel B. Slocum, 59, surrendered to law enforcement on Friday and was arraigned before Bradford District Judge Richard W. Luther Jr. on charges of interference with the custody of children, concealment of the whereabouts of a child, corruption of minors, defiant trespass and loitering and prowling at nighttime.
Police accuse Slocum, who serves two McKean County parishes, of allowing a 15-year-old boy to visit his residence in Lewis Run, south of Bradford, after the boy's mother had forbidden it. He is also accused of lying to the boy's mother when she asked if he had visited Slocum's residence, and of going to the boy's home to drop off an item.
Trooper Daniel Woods, who filed the charges against Slocum, said the boy's mother gave him iPhones, an iPod and an Apple laptop computer that she said Slocum had given to her son to use in communicating with him via Facebook, e-mail and text messages.
Investigators seized other computers, as well as a digital camera and a cellular telephone, when they served search warrants on Slocum's residences in Lewis Run and in Cyclone, southeast of Bradford, on March 29 and 30, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110409/NEWS02/304089909/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
Spring pastor accused of exploitation and manipulation
A Spring-area pastor is being sued over allegations that he abused his position of trust and power to manipulate his followers into giving his church exceedingly generous donations, including a parcel of property in Aldine.
Aldine property owner Jose Trevino and R & R Custom Floors & Designs filed a lawsuit on April 7 in the Harris County District Court against Cadgrey Christian Church, doing business as Centro De Alabanza Del Gran Rey, Rev. Fernando Garza, of Spring, Aldine resident Rosa Diaz, and others citing, among other things, malicious prosecution, trespass to title, conspiracy, fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and defamation.
The plaintiffs say that when the defendants decided to purchase property in order to expand their church, they defrauded Trevino, wrongfully taking his property, located at 847 Hodgkins St. in Aldine. According to the brief, Garza used Bible scriptures to con the plaintiffs into believing that the more they gave to the church, the more Trevino’s business would thrive.
Trevino claims that during the recent economic downturn, Garza misused Bible scriptures to convince him that the root causes of his business woes included his sin, his lack of faith and his failure to continue giving to the church.
http://www.ultimatespringtx.com/stories/240456-spring-pastor-accused-of-exploitation-and-manipulation-in-aldine
Aldine property owner Jose Trevino and R & R Custom Floors & Designs filed a lawsuit on April 7 in the Harris County District Court against Cadgrey Christian Church, doing business as Centro De Alabanza Del Gran Rey, Rev. Fernando Garza, of Spring, Aldine resident Rosa Diaz, and others citing, among other things, malicious prosecution, trespass to title, conspiracy, fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and defamation.
The plaintiffs say that when the defendants decided to purchase property in order to expand their church, they defrauded Trevino, wrongfully taking his property, located at 847 Hodgkins St. in Aldine. According to the brief, Garza used Bible scriptures to con the plaintiffs into believing that the more they gave to the church, the more Trevino’s business would thrive.
Trevino claims that during the recent economic downturn, Garza misused Bible scriptures to convince him that the root causes of his business woes included his sin, his lack of faith and his failure to continue giving to the church.
http://www.ultimatespringtx.com/stories/240456-spring-pastor-accused-of-exploitation-and-manipulation-in-aldine
Pastor arrested in Highland Village
Owen Deane Davis was behind bars Wednesday night when he was arrested by the Highland Village police on a Young County district court warrant.
Davis, the former vicar at Faith Lutheran Church, was arrested on a warrant alleging he sexually assaulted a woman at his Graham home on Spivey Hill.
Davis posted a $50,000 bond Thursday and was released from custody.
The Rev. Ron Halamka, interim pastor at Faith Lutheran, said Davis left the church in January when he took a leave of absence after being interviewed by the Texas Ranger as part of the investigation into the case.
“He felt it was best he sever his relationship with the church until he settled this,” Halamka said. “He has not had any relationship with us, any function with us, since the second Wednesday in January after he was interrogated by the Texas Ranger.”
http://www.grahamleader.com/index.asp?Story=21912
Davis, the former vicar at Faith Lutheran Church, was arrested on a warrant alleging he sexually assaulted a woman at his Graham home on Spivey Hill.
Davis posted a $50,000 bond Thursday and was released from custody.
The Rev. Ron Halamka, interim pastor at Faith Lutheran, said Davis left the church in January when he took a leave of absence after being interviewed by the Texas Ranger as part of the investigation into the case.
“He felt it was best he sever his relationship with the church until he settled this,” Halamka said. “He has not had any relationship with us, any function with us, since the second Wednesday in January after he was interrogated by the Texas Ranger.”
http://www.grahamleader.com/index.asp?Story=21912
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Police probing embezzlement at local church
Mount Airy police are investigating the alleged embezzlement of more than $13,000 from one of this area’s largest churches.
The crime was reported last week by an official of Central United Methodist Church at 1909 N. Main St., who advised that an employee there had used a credit card for unauthorized purchases and payments.
The crime allegedly was committed by a female employee of Central United Methodist, whom Police Chief Dale Watson said worked in a “fiduciary capacity” that provided access to its finances.
“This person had access to a church purchasing card,” said R.B. Davis of the city police Detective Division, which is investigating the case.
“It did transpire over a period of time,” the detective added of the suspected embezzlement.
The exact sum taken is said to be $13,473, which included both cash and credit card funds, according to police records.
A portion of the missing proceeds has been repaid, according to Watson.
Meanwhile, no charges have been filed in the case pending further review.
“We’ll be contacting the District Attorney’s Office to get their advice” on which way to proceed from here, the police chief explained Monday.
Police records indicate that the alleged wrongdoing was discovered in January, but there was no word Monday on how it came to light. Mount Airy attorney Ed Woltz, whose family has long been associated with Central United Methodist Church, reported the matter to police.
The crime was reported last week by an official of Central United Methodist Church at 1909 N. Main St., who advised that an employee there had used a credit card for unauthorized purchases and payments.
The crime allegedly was committed by a female employee of Central United Methodist, whom Police Chief Dale Watson said worked in a “fiduciary capacity” that provided access to its finances.
“This person had access to a church purchasing card,” said R.B. Davis of the city police Detective Division, which is investigating the case.
“It did transpire over a period of time,” the detective added of the suspected embezzlement.
The exact sum taken is said to be $13,473, which included both cash and credit card funds, according to police records.
A portion of the missing proceeds has been repaid, according to Watson.
Meanwhile, no charges have been filed in the case pending further review.
“We’ll be contacting the District Attorney’s Office to get their advice” on which way to proceed from here, the police chief explained Monday.
Police records indicate that the alleged wrongdoing was discovered in January, but there was no word Monday on how it came to light. Mount Airy attorney Ed Woltz, whose family has long been associated with Central United Methodist Church, reported the matter to police.
Former priest accused of leading police chase
State police say that on Monday night 71-year-old Francis McCloskey led them on a brief, low speed case in Livingston, in a rental car that was overdue.
They say he faces three charges including reckless driving and fleeing an officer.
He was sent to the Columbia County Jail that night, but sheriffs tell FOX23 News he has since posted bail and has been released.
http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Former-priest-accused-of-leading-police-chase/aoAdY9nEBU-k55S_xPUEBQ.cspx
They say he faces three charges including reckless driving and fleeing an officer.
He was sent to the Columbia County Jail that night, but sheriffs tell FOX23 News he has since posted bail and has been released.
http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Former-priest-accused-of-leading-police-chase/aoAdY9nEBU-k55S_xPUEBQ.cspx
Priest accused of stealing funds for needy in St. Croix County
A priest working in Hudson who resigned under allegations he stole funds from an account used to help needy families was charged Monday in St. Croix County Court with felony theft.
The Rev. Daniel J. Dahlberg, 68, of Superior is scheduled for an initial court appearance May 12. The charge has a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
St. Patrick Catholic Church officials reported $10,800 was missing from a charity account used to help people in times of hardship. Dahlberg spoke to parishioners March 20 and resigned the next day, according to church officials.
Dahlberg admitted taking the money, in part, because of a gambling addiction. He had sole control of the account.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police met with Sam Cari, a church trustee, on March 21. Cari said the account was used for gasoline, rent, vehicle repairs, utility bills, food and other items.
Reports indicate Dahlberg started in August 2009 writing checks and endorsing them to cash for personal use. Dahlberg told Cari in February that Dahlberg used $3,500 for car problems and gambling.
An internal audit indicated $10,800 was missing, and Dahlberg told police he used it for gambling.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_17782826?nclick_check=1
The Rev. Daniel J. Dahlberg, 68, of Superior is scheduled for an initial court appearance May 12. The charge has a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
St. Patrick Catholic Church officials reported $10,800 was missing from a charity account used to help people in times of hardship. Dahlberg spoke to parishioners March 20 and resigned the next day, according to church officials.
Dahlberg admitted taking the money, in part, because of a gambling addiction. He had sole control of the account.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police met with Sam Cari, a church trustee, on March 21. Cari said the account was used for gasoline, rent, vehicle repairs, utility bills, food and other items.
Reports indicate Dahlberg started in August 2009 writing checks and endorsing them to cash for personal use. Dahlberg told Cari in February that Dahlberg used $3,500 for car problems and gambling.
An internal audit indicated $10,800 was missing, and Dahlberg told police he used it for gambling.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_17782826?nclick_check=1
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Priest charged with sex crimes heads to trial
San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Colin Bilash Tuesday ruled there is enough evidence for a felony sex-crimes case against an Inland priest to go to trial.
The Rev. Alejandro " Alex" Jose Castillo is accused of molesting a 12-year-old boy in late 2008, when Castillo was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Ontario.
Castillo pleaded not guilty in October to seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14 and one count of forcible lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14.
He will next appear in court on April 28, said Karen Schmauss, the San Bernardino County deputy district attorney handling Castillo's case. An Ontario police detective detailed the accusations against Castillo during Tuesday's preliminary hearing, she said.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_webpriest06.2571cb603.html
The Rev. Alejandro " Alex" Jose Castillo is accused of molesting a 12-year-old boy in late 2008, when Castillo was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Ontario.
Castillo pleaded not guilty in October to seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14 and one count of forcible lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14.
He will next appear in court on April 28, said Karen Schmauss, the San Bernardino County deputy district attorney handling Castillo's case. An Ontario police detective detailed the accusations against Castillo during Tuesday's preliminary hearing, she said.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_webpriest06.2571cb603.html
Priest Accused Of Embezzling $25K From Church
GARNERVILLE—A Catholic priest has been charged with using his parish’s American Express credit card for personal expenses, including online gambling.
Thomas Kreiser, 45, of Cinder Road has been charged with third degree grand larceny.
Prosecutors say over a three-month period from March to June, 2010, Kreiser, who since 2008 served as pastor of St. Gregory Barbarigo Roman Catholic Church in Garnerville, stole over $25,000.
The defendant’s misappropriation of funds was uncovered during an Archdiocesan review of the administration of the parish, including an audit.
Restitution in full has already been paid to the parish.
Kreiser was arraigned in the Town of Haverstraw Justice Court by Judge Peter Branti and released on his own recognizance. He is due to return to court on May 12.
If convicted, he faces a possible state prison sentence of up to seven years.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2011/04/05/priest_accused/
Thomas Kreiser, 45, of Cinder Road has been charged with third degree grand larceny.
Prosecutors say over a three-month period from March to June, 2010, Kreiser, who since 2008 served as pastor of St. Gregory Barbarigo Roman Catholic Church in Garnerville, stole over $25,000.
The defendant’s misappropriation of funds was uncovered during an Archdiocesan review of the administration of the parish, including an audit.
Restitution in full has already been paid to the parish.
Kreiser was arraigned in the Town of Haverstraw Justice Court by Judge Peter Branti and released on his own recognizance. He is due to return to court on May 12.
If convicted, he faces a possible state prison sentence of up to seven years.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2011/04/05/priest_accused/
Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse Get Pension
The Catholic Church of Denmark is being criticised for secrecy and inaction in its handling of the cases of several priests accused of sexual abuse against young men.
The complaints follow the announcement by the church on Sunday that it had completed its last and most extensive investigation into the case of a priest who was suspended in April 2010 after being accused by five separate people of indecent exposure and sexual abuse.
In a brief statement the church announced that the official investigation into the complaints had been completed and that the priest would retire with pension as a result.
The church declined to reveal what its investigation into the complaints uncovered or why the priest retired.
“Our conclusion is that the case is closed and the suspension is lifted. The priest then asked if he could retire,” church spokesman Rev Niels Engelbrecht told Berlingske newspaper.
The bishop of the Diocese of Copenhagen, Czeslaw Kozon, however wrote in a letter to the people who filed the complaint against the priest that the church had not been able to determine whether the complaints were founded, and therefore chose to give the priest the benefit of the doubt.
Frederik Roed, one of the men who accused the priest of sexual misconduct, was angered by the church’s conclusion.
http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/51371-priest-accused-of-sex-abuse-gets-pension.html
The complaints follow the announcement by the church on Sunday that it had completed its last and most extensive investigation into the case of a priest who was suspended in April 2010 after being accused by five separate people of indecent exposure and sexual abuse.
In a brief statement the church announced that the official investigation into the complaints had been completed and that the priest would retire with pension as a result.
The church declined to reveal what its investigation into the complaints uncovered or why the priest retired.
“Our conclusion is that the case is closed and the suspension is lifted. The priest then asked if he could retire,” church spokesman Rev Niels Engelbrecht told Berlingske newspaper.
The bishop of the Diocese of Copenhagen, Czeslaw Kozon, however wrote in a letter to the people who filed the complaint against the priest that the church had not been able to determine whether the complaints were founded, and therefore chose to give the priest the benefit of the doubt.
Frederik Roed, one of the men who accused the priest of sexual misconduct, was angered by the church’s conclusion.
http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/51371-priest-accused-of-sex-abuse-gets-pension.html
Pastor seeks dismissal of sex charges
BEAVER - The attorney representing a pastor accused of having inappropriate contact with two teenage boys is asking a Beaver County judge to dismiss the charges against his client.
Charges in two separate cases against Laneer Fisher, 38, of 205 Centerdale Road, Moon Township, were held for court after an Oct. 12 preliminary hearing. However, defense attorney Dirk Goodwald filed a motion to have the charges thrown out.
Goodwald presented his arguments Tuesday before President Judge John D. McBride.
In one case, Fisher, who had been the pastor of Miracle of God in Christ church in Aliquippa for five years, was charged by Aliquippa police with unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, and corruption of minors.
Goodwald argued that the only evidence was based on the testimony of the alleged victim, and that the contact the boy testified about did not meet the legal standard for unlawful contact. Goodwald said there was no testimony from the boy that the contact was for the purpose of sexual gratification. Without the unlawful contact, there should be no charges of indecent assault or corruption of minors, he said.
Assistant District Attorney Justin Quinn argued that though there was no testimony of contact involving genitalia, the boy testified that Fisher asked the boy to sit in his lap, rubbed his nipples and stomach underneath his shirt and attempted to kiss the boy. Quinn cited case law that he said supports that contact is enough to meet the legal definition of unlawful contact.
In the second case, Fisher was charged by Beaver Falls police with indecent assault, indecent exposure, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.
In that case, Goodwald argued that the teen, who was 16 at the time of the incidents, was gay and consented to the contact. He said there was no testimony during the preliminary hearing that the boy said "no," attempted to get away or fight, or that he yelled or screamed. He said when asked during the preliminary hearing why he didn't object to the contact, the teen testified that he "felt he had to." Goodwald asserted the teen said that because he was a gay teen who was doing what came naturally.
Quinn argued that the victim went along with the sexual contact because Fisher used his position of power to assault the teen. Quinn said Goodwald neglected to read the next question in the transcript of the preliminary hearing, which was why the teen felt he "had to" go along with it.
http://www.timesonline.com/youth-pastor-seeks-dismissal-of-sex-charges/article_8c2098dc-5fc9-11e0-8429-001a4bcf6878.html
Charges in two separate cases against Laneer Fisher, 38, of 205 Centerdale Road, Moon Township, were held for court after an Oct. 12 preliminary hearing. However, defense attorney Dirk Goodwald filed a motion to have the charges thrown out.
Goodwald presented his arguments Tuesday before President Judge John D. McBride.
In one case, Fisher, who had been the pastor of Miracle of God in Christ church in Aliquippa for five years, was charged by Aliquippa police with unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, and corruption of minors.
Goodwald argued that the only evidence was based on the testimony of the alleged victim, and that the contact the boy testified about did not meet the legal standard for unlawful contact. Goodwald said there was no testimony from the boy that the contact was for the purpose of sexual gratification. Without the unlawful contact, there should be no charges of indecent assault or corruption of minors, he said.
Assistant District Attorney Justin Quinn argued that though there was no testimony of contact involving genitalia, the boy testified that Fisher asked the boy to sit in his lap, rubbed his nipples and stomach underneath his shirt and attempted to kiss the boy. Quinn cited case law that he said supports that contact is enough to meet the legal definition of unlawful contact.
In the second case, Fisher was charged by Beaver Falls police with indecent assault, indecent exposure, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.
In that case, Goodwald argued that the teen, who was 16 at the time of the incidents, was gay and consented to the contact. He said there was no testimony during the preliminary hearing that the boy said "no," attempted to get away or fight, or that he yelled or screamed. He said when asked during the preliminary hearing why he didn't object to the contact, the teen testified that he "felt he had to." Goodwald asserted the teen said that because he was a gay teen who was doing what came naturally.
Quinn argued that the victim went along with the sexual contact because Fisher used his position of power to assault the teen. Quinn said Goodwald neglected to read the next question in the transcript of the preliminary hearing, which was why the teen felt he "had to" go along with it.
http://www.timesonline.com/youth-pastor-seeks-dismissal-of-sex-charges/article_8c2098dc-5fc9-11e0-8429-001a4bcf6878.html
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Fairview minister accused of raping adopted daughters
FAIRVIEW — A Fairview church pastor has been arrested on complaints of rape and lewd acts with a child.
Major County Sheriff Steven Randolph said Monday that Tommy Pitts could face up to 70 counts. Pitts, who is pastor of the Midway Assembly of God Church, hasn't been formally charged.
Authorities said the allegations against Pitts involve relatives. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify possible victims of sexual assault.
Randolph said Pitts' wife told authorities her husband threatened to commit suicide after she confronted him about the alleged molestations. The sheriff said Pitts tried unsuccessfully to shoot himself then crashed his vehicle into a semi in traffic.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20110404_12_0_FIVEar346034
Major County Sheriff Steven Randolph said Monday that Tommy Pitts could face up to 70 counts. Pitts, who is pastor of the Midway Assembly of God Church, hasn't been formally charged.
Authorities said the allegations against Pitts involve relatives. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify possible victims of sexual assault.
Randolph said Pitts' wife told authorities her husband threatened to commit suicide after she confronted him about the alleged molestations. The sheriff said Pitts tried unsuccessfully to shoot himself then crashed his vehicle into a semi in traffic.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20110404_12_0_FIVEar346034
Pastor arrested hiring hit men kill wife - recruited them from within his own church
A murder-for-hire plot is unravelling in a small south Texas town after a pastor and one of his parishioners have been arrested for the murder of his wife this weekend.
Pastor Julio Cesar Perez is suspected of recruiting men from within his own community church to gun down his wife.
Sonia Perez was found dead in her van with several gunshot wounds on Thursday night. She had been shot twice - once in the side and once in the head. There were reportedly signs of a struggle in the car.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373312/Pastor-arrested-hiring-hit-men-kill-wife--recruited-church.html#ixzz1IeYOcWGD
Pastor Julio Cesar Perez is suspected of recruiting men from within his own community church to gun down his wife.
Sonia Perez was found dead in her van with several gunshot wounds on Thursday night. She had been shot twice - once in the side and once in the head. There were reportedly signs of a struggle in the car.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373312/Pastor-arrested-hiring-hit-men-kill-wife--recruited-church.html#ixzz1IeYOcWGD
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lake Orion pastor to plead guilty to seeking to be sex coach for minors
A Lutheran pastor who allegedly offered to be a sex coach for minor girls over the Internet is scheduled to plead guilty March 24 to his role in an online sex scheme, according to a filing today in U.S. District Court.
William Bendert, 51, the head pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Lake Orion, is charged with using the Internet to entice an 11-year-old girl for sex. If convicted, he faces 10 years in prison.
According to court documents, Bendert used the screen name “Billthebear99” to contact who he thought were mothers of young daughters online, and asked them if they were interested in having him sexually train the girls. The mothers were really undercover FBI agents, records show.
In one chat room, Bendert typed: "I have taught girls before … always together with their moms … you would have to be present with us, " according to an FBI affidavit.
Federal agents arrested Bendert in September as he walked to a room at a Red Roof Inn near I-75 and Rochester Road, where he had arranged to meet who he thought was an 11-year-old girl, according to court records.
Federal agents seized two condoms and sex toys from the trunk of his car, including handcuffs and a rope, and sex-related books, including the Kama Sutra, from his church, court records show. After his arrest, records show, Bendert admitted to being Billthebear; to paying for the hotel room and that “what he was doing was wrong.”
http://www.freep.com/article/20110311/NEWS03/110311028/1001/NEWS/Lake-Orion-pastor-plead-guilty-seeking-sex-coach-minors
William Bendert, 51, the head pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Lake Orion, is charged with using the Internet to entice an 11-year-old girl for sex. If convicted, he faces 10 years in prison.
According to court documents, Bendert used the screen name “Billthebear99” to contact who he thought were mothers of young daughters online, and asked them if they were interested in having him sexually train the girls. The mothers were really undercover FBI agents, records show.
In one chat room, Bendert typed: "I have taught girls before … always together with their moms … you would have to be present with us, " according to an FBI affidavit.
Federal agents arrested Bendert in September as he walked to a room at a Red Roof Inn near I-75 and Rochester Road, where he had arranged to meet who he thought was an 11-year-old girl, according to court records.
Federal agents seized two condoms and sex toys from the trunk of his car, including handcuffs and a rope, and sex-related books, including the Kama Sutra, from his church, court records show. After his arrest, records show, Bendert admitted to being Billthebear; to paying for the hotel room and that “what he was doing was wrong.”
http://www.freep.com/article/20110311/NEWS03/110311028/1001/NEWS/Lake-Orion-pastor-plead-guilty-seeking-sex-coach-minors
Church volunteer charged with stealing $32K
An Elmhurst man stole more than $32,000 from a church where he was a volunteer, according to a criminal indictment announced Wednesday in DuPage County.
Robert Drefs, 53, of the 100 block of East Wilson Street, was charged with one count of theft over $10,000 and three counts of forgery.
According to the indictment, Drefs allegedly forged three checks totaling $32,635 from Messiah Lutheran Church in Elmhurst in 2009 and 2010, according to the indictment. An internal church audit led to the discovery of the alleged missing funds. The church is at 130 W. Butterfield Road.
Drefs was arrested by Elmhurst police on March 15 and posted $3,000 cash bond two days later.
He is to be arraigned on April 4. If convicted he faces a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-church-volunteer-charged-with-stealing-32k-20110330,0,207124.story?track=rss
'Holy man' guilty of remote sex assault
He did not lay a finger on the victim. Nor was he present when two others did. Even so, an unusual legal principle saw Tony Golossian convicted of the woman's sexual assault because he pulled the strings to make it happen.
Golossian, 63, is believed to be the first person in NSW found guilty of sexual assaults committed through a third party, while he was somewhere else.
Addressing the jury at his District Court trial last year, the Crown prosecutor, Sarah Huggett, said, ''You might think, 'Well, how can he be charged? He was not the person who actually had sexual intercourse with her, he wasn't even there.
''This is because of a concept known at law as the doctrine of innocent agency.''
The doctrine allows a person to be held liable for offences they facilitated, procured or encouraged through an unwitting participant, or ''innocent agent'', even if they did not commit the crime themselves.
The circumstances of Golossian's case were distinctive, to say the least.
A reputed ''holy man'', he convinced two Greek Orthodox women they had been cursed by black magic.
Golossian warned they would get cancer, that their families would fall fatally ill or be killed in an accident. But if they paid him to pray over them, and obeyed the instructions he supposedly received from angels, the curse could be lifted.
Both women gave evidence of being sexually assaulted during prayer sessions. One victim, aged 24, was ordered to arrange a threesome with another woman or the curse would take her family one at a time, leaving her to die last.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/holy-man-guilty-of-remote-sex-assault/2121070.aspx
Golossian, 63, is believed to be the first person in NSW found guilty of sexual assaults committed through a third party, while he was somewhere else.
Addressing the jury at his District Court trial last year, the Crown prosecutor, Sarah Huggett, said, ''You might think, 'Well, how can he be charged? He was not the person who actually had sexual intercourse with her, he wasn't even there.
''This is because of a concept known at law as the doctrine of innocent agency.''
The doctrine allows a person to be held liable for offences they facilitated, procured or encouraged through an unwitting participant, or ''innocent agent'', even if they did not commit the crime themselves.
The circumstances of Golossian's case were distinctive, to say the least.
A reputed ''holy man'', he convinced two Greek Orthodox women they had been cursed by black magic.
Golossian warned they would get cancer, that their families would fall fatally ill or be killed in an accident. But if they paid him to pray over them, and obeyed the instructions he supposedly received from angels, the curse could be lifted.
Both women gave evidence of being sexually assaulted during prayer sessions. One victim, aged 24, was ordered to arrange a threesome with another woman or the curse would take her family one at a time, leaving her to die last.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/holy-man-guilty-of-remote-sex-assault/2121070.aspx
Hernando Pastor Charged with Child Porn
HERNANDO, Miss. - A Desoto County preacher has been charged with possession of child porn. Eddie Prince of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Hernando was arrested at his home on Friday.
Members of the church were shocked by the arrest of their longtime pastor.
Hernando Police Chief Mike Riley said items were confiscated from the pastor’s possession, but he would not go into detail.
"It's been an ongoing investigation and it's still ongoing. At this point it's only one charge."
But, Riley says other charges could be possible.
Meanwhile, Sunday services at Oak Grove continued with an associate pastor. The church has placed Prince on a leave of absence, and there’s no word yet on if he will continue as pastor.
"Depending on the outcome of the judication of the case, it's just going to depend on what happens."
Prince is being held at the Desoto County Jail on a $60,000 bond and is set to appear in court Wednesday for his initial appearance. Then he may be bound over to a grand jury and indicted for that charge. If convicted, he faces three to five years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender.
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/crime/hernando-pastor-charged-with-child-porn-rpt-20110403
Members of the church were shocked by the arrest of their longtime pastor.
Hernando Police Chief Mike Riley said items were confiscated from the pastor’s possession, but he would not go into detail.
"It's been an ongoing investigation and it's still ongoing. At this point it's only one charge."
But, Riley says other charges could be possible.
Meanwhile, Sunday services at Oak Grove continued with an associate pastor. The church has placed Prince on a leave of absence, and there’s no word yet on if he will continue as pastor.
"Depending on the outcome of the judication of the case, it's just going to depend on what happens."
Prince is being held at the Desoto County Jail on a $60,000 bond and is set to appear in court Wednesday for his initial appearance. Then he may be bound over to a grand jury and indicted for that charge. If convicted, he faces three to five years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender.
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/crime/hernando-pastor-charged-with-child-porn-rpt-20110403
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Former Pineville youth minister accused of sex crimes with juveniles
A youth minister who worked at Donahue Family Church in Pineville has been arrested on sex-crime charges for alleged incidents involving one or more juveniles who attended the church and its events between 2003 and 2007, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday.
Angelo Deboray "Doogie" Golatt, 28, was arrested Tuesday in Jena by Sheriff's Office detectives and deputy U.S. marshals. Golatt resides in the 1700 block of Military Highway in Pineville, sheriff's officials said in a news release.
Golatt, who no longer works at Donahue, faces one count of aggravated rape, one count of sexual battery and two counts of molestation of a juvenile, authorities said.
More charges against Golatt may be coming because sheriff's officials say Golatt might have assaulted other juveniles at the church.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/DK/20110331/NEWS01/103310335/0/LIFESTYLE/Former-Pineville-youth-minister-accused-sex-crimes-juveniles?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Angelo Deboray "Doogie" Golatt, 28, was arrested Tuesday in Jena by Sheriff's Office detectives and deputy U.S. marshals. Golatt resides in the 1700 block of Military Highway in Pineville, sheriff's officials said in a news release.
Golatt, who no longer works at Donahue, faces one count of aggravated rape, one count of sexual battery and two counts of molestation of a juvenile, authorities said.
More charges against Golatt may be coming because sheriff's officials say Golatt might have assaulted other juveniles at the church.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/DK/20110331/NEWS01/103310335/0/LIFESTYLE/Former-Pineville-youth-minister-accused-sex-crimes-juveniles?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Prosecutors add money-laundering charges to 2 men in N.J. corruption probe
Two figures in the sweeping 2009 federal money laundering and public corruption bust had additional money-laundering charges added today, under a 14-count indictment handed up in Newark.
Rabbi Lavel Schwartz, 59, and David S. Goldhirsh, 29, both of Brooklyn, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to their dealings in 2008 and 2009 with the now-infamous FBI informant and real-estate developer Solomon Dwek.
The two men were indicted on a money-laundering conspiracy count and 12 counts of attempted money laundering based on their Dwek dealings. Schwartz is charged in 10 of those 12 counts, Goldhirsh three.
According to federal authorities and the indictment, Schwartz and his brother, Rabbi Mordchai Fish, agreed to launder money for Dwek that they believed he got from illegal activities such as bank fraud, selling of counterfeit merchandise and bankruptcy fraud. After Dwek gave them bank checks ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, they’d give him cash back, minus a 10 percent or so cut for themselves, federal authorities said.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/prosecutors_add_money-launderi.html
Rabbi Lavel Schwartz, 59, and David S. Goldhirsh, 29, both of Brooklyn, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to their dealings in 2008 and 2009 with the now-infamous FBI informant and real-estate developer Solomon Dwek.
The two men were indicted on a money-laundering conspiracy count and 12 counts of attempted money laundering based on their Dwek dealings. Schwartz is charged in 10 of those 12 counts, Goldhirsh three.
According to federal authorities and the indictment, Schwartz and his brother, Rabbi Mordchai Fish, agreed to launder money for Dwek that they believed he got from illegal activities such as bank fraud, selling of counterfeit merchandise and bankruptcy fraud. After Dwek gave them bank checks ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, they’d give him cash back, minus a 10 percent or so cut for themselves, federal authorities said.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/prosecutors_add_money-launderi.html
Pastor awaiting rape trial is placed on electronic home detention
A South Seattle pastor and music teacher accused of raping and molesting a teenage girl was placed on electronic home monitoring Thursday, despite efforts by King County prosecutors to have him held in the King County Jail while he awaits trial in a case that carries a potential life sentence.
The Rev. Royce Shorter, 54, was arrested and charged in February with two counts of third-degree rape and one count of third-degree child molestation, court records show. Members of Shorter's church "pooled their money" to post his $350,000 bail, according to defense attorney Amy Muth. Jail records show he was released less than 24 hours after he was booked.
On Thursday, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Julie Kays filed two more charges against Shorter: second-degree rape and first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Additionally, Kays added the aggravating factor of abuse of trust to each charge. Those aggravating issues can be used as a basis for an exceptional sentence if Shorter is convicted.
However, Shorter could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release if he's convicted on the second-degree-rape charge, which was filed based on new evidence that he allegedly forcibly raped a now-20-year-old woman when she was 15, Kays said.
That's because the charge would be Shorter's second strike, the maximum allowed for certain sex crimes. In 1985, he was convicted of second-degree statutory rape for having sex with a 13-year-old.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014648646_ministersex01m.html
The Rev. Royce Shorter, 54, was arrested and charged in February with two counts of third-degree rape and one count of third-degree child molestation, court records show. Members of Shorter's church "pooled their money" to post his $350,000 bail, according to defense attorney Amy Muth. Jail records show he was released less than 24 hours after he was booked.
On Thursday, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Julie Kays filed two more charges against Shorter: second-degree rape and first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. Additionally, Kays added the aggravating factor of abuse of trust to each charge. Those aggravating issues can be used as a basis for an exceptional sentence if Shorter is convicted.
However, Shorter could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release if he's convicted on the second-degree-rape charge, which was filed based on new evidence that he allegedly forcibly raped a now-20-year-old woman when she was 15, Kays said.
That's because the charge would be Shorter's second strike, the maximum allowed for certain sex crimes. In 1985, he was convicted of second-degree statutory rape for having sex with a 13-year-old.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014648646_ministersex01m.html
Pastor Terry Jones: a homophobic used furniture salesman
The 59-year-old runs the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainsville, Florida, whose congregation numbers just a few dozen.
The church is based in a 20-acre compound where Jones lives with his wife, Sylvia, and is said to regularly patrol the grounds with a pistol strapped to his hip.
Dove World Outreach is funded by the pastor's furniture firm, TS & Company, which buys vintage items from Europe and sells them in the US. The employees are members of the church, who are understood to work for no wages and live rent-free in run-down properties owned by the pastor and his wife.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8422880/Pastor-Terry-Jones-a-homophobic-used-furniture-salesman-with-a-love-of-controversy.html
Dove World Outreach is funded by the pastor's furniture firm, TS & Company, which buys vintage items from Europe and sells them in the US. The employees are members of the church, who are understood to work for no wages and live rent-free in run-down properties owned by the pastor and his wife.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8422880/Pastor-Terry-Jones-a-homophobic-used-furniture-salesman-with-a-love-of-controversy.html
Pastor appears in court on sex charge
Friday, Apr 1 2011, 6:35 pm
Special to The Star
CHARLOTTE — Dr. Clinton Feemster was accompanied by church deacons and an attorney Friday morning at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.
Feemster was arrested Feb.18 and charged with soliciting crimes against nature. Police said he solicited a sex act from an undercover vice officer near the airport.
Feemster, a Gardner-Webb University professor and a pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Kings Mountain, was placed on leave from his church in early March. He is also on leave from the university.
His case was continued to May 3.
Former Tulsa Pastor Charged With Seven Counts Of Child Sexual Abuse
Posted: Apr 01, 2011 12:21 PM EDT Updated: Apr 01, 2011 1:40 PM EDT
![Mug shot of Vincent Brookfield as of March 31, 2011. [Tulsa Co jail]](http://kotv.images.worldnow.com/images/14365841_BG1.jpg "Mug shot of Vincent Brookfield as of March 31, 2011. [Tulsa Co jail]")
Mug shot of Vincent Brookfield as of March 31, 2011. [Tulsa Co jail]
Mug shot of Vincent Brookfield as of March 31, 2011. [Tulsa Co jail]NewsOn6.com
TULSA, Oklahoma -- A former pastor at a Tulsa church was booked into the Tulsa County jail Thursday afternoon following his arrest on 7 charges of child sexual abuse.
Court records show Vincent Brookfield is accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl between April 2, 2003 and April 2, 2004 and the same female when she was between the ages of 11 and 14 from April 2, 2007 to November 29, 2010.
Police tell News On 6, they know of no other victims.
An Internet search shows Vincent Brookfield was the pastor of Evangelism and Outreach at the New Hope Baptist Church in Tulsa.
Ex-Pastor Charged With Stealing $25,000 In Church Funds
The former pastor of a Rockland County Roman Catholic Church has been charged with stealing $25,000 from the church to pay for personal expenses including online gambling, according to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe.
The Rev. Thomas Kreiser, 45, of 21 Cinder Road, Garnerville, is charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny in connection with the illicit use of an American Express card for St. Gregory Barbarigo Church in Garnerville from March to June 2010.
Kreiser was been pastor of the church from 2008 until his resignation in June 2010.
“This defendant, a Roman Catholic priest, embezzled thousands of dollars from St. Gregory’s Church and improperly used the money for his personal benefit," Zugibe said. "His conduct represents a betrayal of the trust of his parishioners who looked to him for moral leadership and spiritual guidance.”
http://nyack.patch.com/articles/ex-pastor-charged-with-stealing-25000-in-church-funds
The Rev. Thomas Kreiser, 45, of 21 Cinder Road, Garnerville, is charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny in connection with the illicit use of an American Express card for St. Gregory Barbarigo Church in Garnerville from March to June 2010.
Kreiser was been pastor of the church from 2008 until his resignation in June 2010.
“This defendant, a Roman Catholic priest, embezzled thousands of dollars from St. Gregory’s Church and improperly used the money for his personal benefit," Zugibe said. "His conduct represents a betrayal of the trust of his parishioners who looked to him for moral leadership and spiritual guidance.”
http://nyack.patch.com/articles/ex-pastor-charged-with-stealing-25000-in-church-funds
TSA Accused of Firing Agent for Being a Witch
Carole A. Smith does not fly around on a broom, wear a black pointy hat or cast spells. But the misperceptions of what constitutes a witch—someone who practices Wicca—was more than enough to get her fired from her job with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Smith was an airport screener at New York’s Albany International Airport until coworkers and supervisors turned on her once they found out about her religion. Her training officer, Mary Bagnoli, even accused Smith of casting a spell on her car’s heater so it wouldn’t work.
Face of Jesus Christ appears in three-cheese pizza
In a purported "miracle'', the face of Jesus Christ has appeared on a three-cheese pizza made at Posh Pizza in New Farm, Brisbane.
The shop, in the city's Fortitude Valley, has put the slice on eBay, and as of this morning bidding was up to $65.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/the-other-side/face-of-jesus-christ-appears-in-three-cheese-pizza/story-e6frfhk6-1226030824138
The shop, in the city's Fortitude Valley, has put the slice on eBay, and as of this morning bidding was up to $65.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/the-other-side/face-of-jesus-christ-appears-in-three-cheese-pizza/story-e6frfhk6-1226030824138
Newly rich targeted as witches, South African police warn
JOHANNESBURG—Newly rich South Africans are increasingly accused of witchcraft and attacked by their neighbors, police in the northern province of Limpopo said Wednesday.
"Now you are a witch because you are driving a four-by-four. This is the mentality that people have," police spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the Sapa news agency.
"Once people start amassing wealth, getting bigger houses and sending their children to better schools, it means you are engaging yourself in witchcraft.
Mulaudzi said Limpopo had seen four attacks in the past three months in villages where alleged witches were either assaulted or killed.
In the most recent incident, an 81-year-old grandmother and her 26-year-old granddaughter were stoned to death and then set alight by a mob in a small village Sunday after being accused of witchcraft, Sapa reported.
Mulaudzi said villagers who had left home to earn money in urban areas were becoming afraid to return and build new houses in their communities. He blamed a lack of education in rural areas for misconceptions about the upwardly mobile.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20110323-327225/Newly-rich-targeted-as-witches-South-African-police-warn
"Now you are a witch because you are driving a four-by-four. This is the mentality that people have," police spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the Sapa news agency.
"Once people start amassing wealth, getting bigger houses and sending their children to better schools, it means you are engaging yourself in witchcraft.
Mulaudzi said Limpopo had seen four attacks in the past three months in villages where alleged witches were either assaulted or killed.
In the most recent incident, an 81-year-old grandmother and her 26-year-old granddaughter were stoned to death and then set alight by a mob in a small village Sunday after being accused of witchcraft, Sapa reported.
Mulaudzi said villagers who had left home to earn money in urban areas were becoming afraid to return and build new houses in their communities. He blamed a lack of education in rural areas for misconceptions about the upwardly mobile.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20110323-327225/Newly-rich-targeted-as-witches-South-African-police-warn
Lawmaker Calls Bishop ‘Pedophile Pimp’
A top Republican in New Hampshire on Friday called Bishop John B. McCormack of Manchester a “pedophile pimp” on his Facebook page.
The Republican, State Representative D. J. Bettencourt, the House majority leader, was responding to criticism from Bishop McCormack that state budget cuts would hurt the most vulnerable members of society.
“Would the bishop like to discuss his history of protecting the ‘vulnerable?’ ” Mr. Bettencourt, a practicing Roman Catholic, wrote. “This man is a pedophile pimp who should have been led away from the State House in handcuffs with a raincoat over his head in disgrace. He has absolutely no moral credibility to lecture anyone.”
Mr. Bettencourt said in a statement that his criticism stemmed from Bishop McCormack’s time as an administrator for Cardinal Bernard F. Law in Boston, where he was a top aide assigned to investigate complaints that priests had sexually abused minors. He was named bishop of Manchester in 1998.
In 2002, he was part of a settlement with state prosecutors in which the diocese acknowledged it had protected abusive priests and submitted itself to audits. The agreement halted a criminal investigation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/us/02bishop.html
The Republican, State Representative D. J. Bettencourt, the House majority leader, was responding to criticism from Bishop McCormack that state budget cuts would hurt the most vulnerable members of society.
“Would the bishop like to discuss his history of protecting the ‘vulnerable?’ ” Mr. Bettencourt, a practicing Roman Catholic, wrote. “This man is a pedophile pimp who should have been led away from the State House in handcuffs with a raincoat over his head in disgrace. He has absolutely no moral credibility to lecture anyone.”
Mr. Bettencourt said in a statement that his criticism stemmed from Bishop McCormack’s time as an administrator for Cardinal Bernard F. Law in Boston, where he was a top aide assigned to investigate complaints that priests had sexually abused minors. He was named bishop of Manchester in 1998.
In 2002, he was part of a settlement with state prosecutors in which the diocese acknowledged it had protected abusive priests and submitted itself to audits. The agreement halted a criminal investigation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/us/02bishop.html
Friday, April 1, 2011
UN staff killed by Afghan mob enraged over Florida Quran burning
At least 20 UN staff members were killed in northern Afghanistan when a protest over a Quran burning overseen by pastor Terry Jones turned into a violent mob.
An Afghan mob apparently angry over a Quran burning in Florida set upon a United Nations compound Friday, killing as many as 20 employees and setting fire to several compound buildings.
Related Stories
The attack, which may be the deadliest assault on the UN in Afghanistan, grew out of a protest in response to news that US pastor Terry Jones oversaw a Quran burning on March 20. Mr. Jones drew worldwide criticism last year for threatening to burn Qurans on the anniversary of 9/11.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2011/0401/UN-staff-killed-by-Afghan-mob-enraged-over-Florida-Quran-burning
Related Stories
Marquette University Pres. Accused Of Covering Up Clergy Abuse
MILWAUKEE -- Marquette University's president is accused of protecting one of the nation's most notorious predator priests.
The allegations are part of a pending lawsuit against the Rev. Donald McGuire and his order.The Rev. Robert Wild supervised McGuire in the late 1980s when he headed up the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus.Long before McGuire was a convicted pedophile, he was arguably the one of the country's most prominent Jesuits."Father McGuire is a saint, walking around among us," McGuire supporter Tony Mockus said at McGuire's sentencing in 2007.McGuire was best known as spiritual adviser to Mother Teresa and often brought children and families to meet her, despite, claims the lawsuit, the growing number of sexual misconduct complaints against him."As Father McGuire is being presented to the world as Mother Teresa's spiritual adviser and the director of his order of nuns, the Jesuits, including Father Wild, never tell her that this man is a pedophile priest," said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests spokesman Peter Isely.
http://www.wisn.com/r/27375873/detail.html
The allegations are part of a pending lawsuit against the Rev. Donald McGuire and his order.The Rev. Robert Wild supervised McGuire in the late 1980s when he headed up the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus.Long before McGuire was a convicted pedophile, he was arguably the one of the country's most prominent Jesuits."Father McGuire is a saint, walking around among us," McGuire supporter Tony Mockus said at McGuire's sentencing in 2007.McGuire was best known as spiritual adviser to Mother Teresa and often brought children and families to meet her, despite, claims the lawsuit, the growing number of sexual misconduct complaints against him."As Father McGuire is being presented to the world as Mother Teresa's spiritual adviser and the director of his order of nuns, the Jesuits, including Father Wild, never tell her that this man is a pedophile priest," said the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests spokesman Peter Isely.
http://www.wisn.com/r/27375873/detail.html
Madison priest accused of fondling teenage girl maintains his innocence
A Madison priest accused of fondling a teenage girl in 2003 and 2004 and exposing himself to her maintains his innocence, his attorney said Thursday.
Attorney Stephen Eisenberg, who is representing the Rev. Joseph Gibbs Clauder, said Clauder "looks forward to exonerating himself."
Clauder, 64, who was removed from public ministry in 1999, made an initial appearance Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court on a charge of sexual assault of a child under age 16. Commissioner Scott McAndrew ordered Clauder to have no contact with the alleged victim, who was 14 and 15 when the incidents are said to have occurred, or unsupervised contact with minors while free on a signature bond.
A status conference was set for Monday, at which time Eisenberg said a date could be set for a preliminary hearing.
The Diocese of Madison posted a statement on its website Wednesday saying, "There is no place in the priesthood for those who would abuse a child" and renewing its promise for appropriate precaution and reporting of sexual abuse of minors.
Laura Nyberg, who sued Clauder in 1993 after the two had been involved in what she termed an "inappropriate sexual relationship" after Clauder counseled her following her second miscarriage, attended Thursday's court appearance and urged any other victims to come forward. "For me, the most powerful thing is not to be alone," she said.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_5bb432c2-5bb8-11e0-9641-001cc4c03286.html
Attorney Stephen Eisenberg, who is representing the Rev. Joseph Gibbs Clauder, said Clauder "looks forward to exonerating himself."
Clauder, 64, who was removed from public ministry in 1999, made an initial appearance Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court on a charge of sexual assault of a child under age 16. Commissioner Scott McAndrew ordered Clauder to have no contact with the alleged victim, who was 14 and 15 when the incidents are said to have occurred, or unsupervised contact with minors while free on a signature bond.
A status conference was set for Monday, at which time Eisenberg said a date could be set for a preliminary hearing.
The Diocese of Madison posted a statement on its website Wednesday saying, "There is no place in the priesthood for those who would abuse a child" and renewing its promise for appropriate precaution and reporting of sexual abuse of minors.
Laura Nyberg, who sued Clauder in 1993 after the two had been involved in what she termed an "inappropriate sexual relationship" after Clauder counseled her following her second miscarriage, attended Thursday's court appearance and urged any other victims to come forward. "For me, the most powerful thing is not to be alone," she said.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_5bb432c2-5bb8-11e0-9641-001cc4c03286.html
33 archdiocesan priests accused but not named
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has a list of 33 priests accused of sexual abuse involving minors. But unlike other Roman Catholic archdioceses that have published similar lists in recent years -- Milwaukee, Chicago and Baltimore, among others -- it has refused to do so.
The archdiocese's list has been around for nearly eight years and is the subject of at least one lawsuit filed by a man who says he was sexually abused as a teenager by a former Twin Cities area priest.
The question of whether to reveal the priests on the list came into question again this week when St. John's Abbey in Collegeville released the names of 17 monks who have faced credible allegations of sexual abuse or other misconduct. The disclosure was part of a settlement of lawsuits against the abbey.
St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who has represented thousands of clergy sex abuse victims, and victims' rights advocates have pressed to make such lists public for years. Doing so helps victims heal, leads others to come forward and protects children from possible future abuse, they say.
"Until all the names of the all offenders become known and exposed ... other survivors will suffer in secrecy and silence and shame until they know they're not alone," Anderson said. "Kids remain at risk. Those offenders could be in schools, our neighborhoods; they could be in churches."
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/119035049.html
The archdiocese's list has been around for nearly eight years and is the subject of at least one lawsuit filed by a man who says he was sexually abused as a teenager by a former Twin Cities area priest.
The question of whether to reveal the priests on the list came into question again this week when St. John's Abbey in Collegeville released the names of 17 monks who have faced credible allegations of sexual abuse or other misconduct. The disclosure was part of a settlement of lawsuits against the abbey.
St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who has represented thousands of clergy sex abuse victims, and victims' rights advocates have pressed to make such lists public for years. Doing so helps victims heal, leads others to come forward and protects children from possible future abuse, they say.
"Until all the names of the all offenders become known and exposed ... other survivors will suffer in secrecy and silence and shame until they know they're not alone," Anderson said. "Kids remain at risk. Those offenders could be in schools, our neighborhoods; they could be in churches."
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/119035049.html
Former Hardeeville Pastor and Secretary Accused of Stealing Church Money
HARDEEVILLE, SC -- The congregation of a Lowcountry church is rocked by scandal as a former pastor and the secretary are charged with taking money from the church.
Hardeeville Police said they believe the theft happened over the past couple of years at St. Stephen AME Church on Main Street.
Police said the church's new pastor and a committee reviewed the finances and asked them to look into some irregularities in late February.
Hardeeville Police said $56,000 was in the church account and after two and a half years, just two thousand was left.
After their investigation, police arrested the church's former pastor, Jonathan Roberts, for criminal conspiracy and the secretary, Roberta Simmons, for breach of trust with fraudulent intent of $10,000 or more.
Chief Richard Nagy said they have so far found evidence the two used about $21,000 for their personal use and the investigation isn't over yet.
http://www2.wsav.com/news/2011/mar/31/3/former-hardeeville-pastor-and-secretary-accused-st-ar-1654574/
Hardeeville Police said they believe the theft happened over the past couple of years at St. Stephen AME Church on Main Street.
Police said the church's new pastor and a committee reviewed the finances and asked them to look into some irregularities in late February.
Hardeeville Police said $56,000 was in the church account and after two and a half years, just two thousand was left.
After their investigation, police arrested the church's former pastor, Jonathan Roberts, for criminal conspiracy and the secretary, Roberta Simmons, for breach of trust with fraudulent intent of $10,000 or more.
Chief Richard Nagy said they have so far found evidence the two used about $21,000 for their personal use and the investigation isn't over yet.
http://www2.wsav.com/news/2011/mar/31/3/former-hardeeville-pastor-and-secretary-accused-st-ar-1654574/
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Pastor facing possible deportation prepares for court, will seek pardon
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (ABP) -- A Hispanic Baptist pastor arrested last summer by immigration authorities won't find out until September whether he will be deported for a crime committed in 1995.
Hector Villanueva, pastor of Bautista la Rocha in Siler City, N.C., accepted Christ while serving 16 months in prison and decided to turn his life around and become a pastor. Now married with children, he started his current congregation with help from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina in August 2010.
After just three services in the new church, Villanueva was arrested Aug. 19 by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He was jailed in Raleigh and then Alamance County in North Carolina and then moved to Gainesville, Ga., while his family desperately tried to keep track of his movements over a two-week period.
Released from custody on $15,000 bail that was covered by the North Carolina CBF, Villanueva and his family now await a September hearing to find out if a court will decide to deport him to Mexico. Villanueva is also preparing a request for a pardon from North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.
Villanueva has permanent-resident status in the U.S. That gives him every right of a citizen except to vote. His arrest came after he applied for citizenship and a background check surfaced a 1995 felony. That placed him under a law that mandates deportation for immigrants convicted of a felony, even though it wasn't passed until three years after Villanueva had committed the crime and had already served his punishment.
http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6260/53/
Hector Villanueva, pastor of Bautista la Rocha in Siler City, N.C., accepted Christ while serving 16 months in prison and decided to turn his life around and become a pastor. Now married with children, he started his current congregation with help from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina in August 2010.
 Hector Villanueva has lived in the. U.S. 38 of his 41 years. His wife of 12 years, Martha, moved here when she was 2. They have four children and are hoping to adopt two more. |
Released from custody on $15,000 bail that was covered by the North Carolina CBF, Villanueva and his family now await a September hearing to find out if a court will decide to deport him to Mexico. Villanueva is also preparing a request for a pardon from North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.
Villanueva has permanent-resident status in the U.S. That gives him every right of a citizen except to vote. His arrest came after he applied for citizenship and a background check surfaced a 1995 felony. That placed him under a law that mandates deportation for immigrants convicted of a felony, even though it wasn't passed until three years after Villanueva had committed the crime and had already served his punishment.
http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6260/53/
Monday, March 28, 2011
Pastor charged with sexual battery
BENSON, NC (WTVD) -- Benson Police Chief Kenneth Edwards said Monday that a church pastor is accused of sex offenses against a nursing home resident with diminished mental capacity.
Benson is about 30 miles south of Raleigh in Johnston County.
Seventy-four-year-old Paul Burke Johnson, the minister of Calvary Baptist Church in Dunn, is charged with four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery.
The alleged incidents took place at Liberty Commons Nursing Center, located at 2315 NC Highway 242 North in Benson.
According to Chief Edwards, Johnson had been visiting with residents of Liberty Commons for about 12 months. Johnson is accused of meeting and having repeated inappropriate sexual contact with a 64-year-old resident who suffers from diminished mental capacity. Edwards said the sexual conduct did not include intercourse, or any other act that would constitute a felony charge.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8038370
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Birmingham paedophile priest accused by three new victims
THREE new victims claim they were abused by a pervert priest who was allowed to flee to America by the Catholic Church.
Church officials played down alleged abuse to US counterparts to facilitate his move abroad – describing the first victim’s claim that the priest had repeatedly raped him as “an unfortunate relationship”.
The pervert was jailed for 21 years at Birmingham Crown Court last October after being found guilty of multiple sex offences against six boys as young as 10.
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/03/27/birmingham-paedophile-priest-accused-by-three-new-victims-66331-28409313/
Church officials played down alleged abuse to US counterparts to facilitate his move abroad – describing the first victim’s claim that the priest had repeatedly raped him as “an unfortunate relationship”.
Anna Wheeler, a senior prosecutor with West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service’s Complex Casework Unit, finally extradited Robinson back to Britain to face justice.
The pervert was jailed for 21 years at Birmingham Crown Court last October after being found guilty of multiple sex offences against six boys as young as 10.
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/03/27/birmingham-paedophile-priest-accused-by-three-new-victims-66331-28409313/
Wisconsin church members are accused of child abuse
Members of a small Wisconsin church took the "spare the rod, spoil the child" philosophy way too far, authorities say. Now they face child-abuse allegations for using actual wooden rods, dowels and spoons on the bare buttocks of children as young as 2 months old.
According to church members, Philip would instruct parents on how to use rods to spank children's buttocks. He stated he "likes the immediacy of spanking" and "pain is a good way to teach children." The complaint also states Philip said: "If you spank early and it is done right, then kids will be happy and obedient."
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/118691089.html
'Pain is a good way to teach'
Authorities began to investigate the church in November, according to the complaint. Authorities say Philip expressed his belief the Bible dictates the use of a rod to punish children. He stated children only a few months old are "worthy" of the rod and that by 1 1/2 months, a child is old enough to be spanked.According to church members, Philip would instruct parents on how to use rods to spank children's buttocks. He stated he "likes the immediacy of spanking" and "pain is a good way to teach children." The complaint also states Philip said: "If you spank early and it is done right, then kids will be happy and obedient."
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/118691089.html
Local Pastor Accused Of Paying Prostitute
MIAMISBURG, Ohio -- Police said they followed a man who was suspected of picking up a prostitute, and it turned out that he is pastor in the area.
Officers arrived the pastor, John Naylor, on misdemeanor charges, and the man then told police that he had done this kind of thing before.
Naylor is the pastor of visitation and senior adults at the First Church of God in Miamisburg. He told officers that he had just been with a patient at a local hospital when he decided to go "cruising."
Police said Naylor went out around 7 p.m. Tuesday night. They said officers saw Naylor pick up a woman on East Third Street and then take her to a vacant house on King Street.
Reports said Naylor admitted to giving the woman $20 for oral sex. He also told police that he has done this "three or four times before."
http://www.whiotv.com/news/27293804/detail.html
Officers arrived the pastor, John Naylor, on misdemeanor charges, and the man then told police that he had done this kind of thing before.
Naylor is the pastor of visitation and senior adults at the First Church of God in Miamisburg. He told officers that he had just been with a patient at a local hospital when he decided to go "cruising."
Police said Naylor went out around 7 p.m. Tuesday night. They said officers saw Naylor pick up a woman on East Third Street and then take her to a vacant house on King Street.
Reports said Naylor admitted to giving the woman $20 for oral sex. He also told police that he has done this "three or four times before."
http://www.whiotv.com/news/27293804/detail.html
Con man-turned-pastor Barry Minkow accused of securities fraud
On Thursday, the government filed a securities fraud charge against Minkow, which could send him back to prison for five years.
Minkow has agreed to plead guilty to the charge, filed in Miami, and will “take responsibility for what he did,” said Alvin Entin, his attorney.
Minkow, 44, artificially depressed the stock of a home-building company by spreading false information that it was engaged in fraud, the government said in a court filing.
He induced a law enforcement agency to open a criminal investigation of the company and then traded on his knowledge of it, the government said. The Justice Department described Minkow as a “confidential human source” for the FBI.
“With full knowledge of the rules and his obligations as a litigant in this Court, Mr. Minkow has withheld key documents, destroyed or discarded important evidence, concealed the identity of material witnesses, willfully violated court orders, and engaged in actions to cloud his misconduct,” Florida Judge Gill S. Freeman wrote. Minkow admitted that he had used funds from the San Diego Community Bible Church to pay a business expense, the judge wrote.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/con-man-turned-pastor-barry-minkow-accused-of-securities-fraud/2011/03/24/ABdqqSRB_story.html
Minkow has agreed to plead guilty to the charge, filed in Miami, and will “take responsibility for what he did,” said Alvin Entin, his attorney.
Minkow, 44, artificially depressed the stock of a home-building company by spreading false information that it was engaged in fraud, the government said in a court filing.
He induced a law enforcement agency to open a criminal investigation of the company and then traded on his knowledge of it, the government said. The Justice Department described Minkow as a “confidential human source” for the FBI.
“With full knowledge of the rules and his obligations as a litigant in this Court, Mr. Minkow has withheld key documents, destroyed or discarded important evidence, concealed the identity of material witnesses, willfully violated court orders, and engaged in actions to cloud his misconduct,” Florida Judge Gill S. Freeman wrote. Minkow admitted that he had used funds from the San Diego Community Bible Church to pay a business expense, the judge wrote.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/con-man-turned-pastor-barry-minkow-accused-of-securities-fraud/2011/03/24/ABdqqSRB_story.html
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Pella Pastor Charged With Sexual Abuse
A 41-year old man serving as a pastor at a Pella church has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse and exploitation.
Patrick Edouard was a pastor at the Covenant Reformed Church in Pella.
According to court papers filed on Thursday, Edouard sexually abused three "emotionally dependent" women, and had sexual contact with a fourth.
Court documents said all four victims went to him for private counseling.
They go on to state that some of the acts took place in the basement of a home on Cedar Street in Pella, a place that Edouard used as a study. The documents say the women told him to stop or resisted, but he "overpowered them" and then threatened them, to keep them quiet.
Former Oceanside pastor arrested in Alabama on sex charges
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 10:31 p.m.
Montgomery, Ala., Police Department
A former Oceanside pastor was arrested in Alabama on suspicion of sexual torture and aggravated child abuse, authorities said.
Barry Cook, 47, was arrested Thursday, said Montgomery police Lt. Mark Drinkard. Cook founded Ambassador Family Church in Oceanside, which went into foreclosure in 2008.Cook was fired earlier this week from the pastoral staff of Christian Life Church in Montgomery, television station WSFA in Montgomery reported.
Jannah Bailey, a spokeswoman for Montgomery Child Protect, an organization that assisted with the investigation, told the television station that the victim is a 12-year-old boy.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/25/alabama-police-arrest-former-oceanside-pastor-on-s/
Catholic Order Reaches $166 Million Settlement With Sexual Abuse Victims
SEATTLE — A Roman Catholic religious order in the Northwest has agreed to pay $166 million to more than 500 victims of sexual abuse, many of whom are American Indians and Alaska Natives who were abused decades ago at Indian boarding schools and in remote villages, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Friday.
One of the plaintiffs, Dorothea Skalicky, was living on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in northern Idaho in the 1970s when she said she was abused by a Jesuit priest who ran Sacred Heart Church, in Lapwai. Ms. Skalicky, now 42, said that her family lived across from the church for several years, and that she was abused from age 6 to 8.
“My family looked up to him,” Ms. Skalicky said of the priest, who is deceased. “He was somebody high up that was respected by the community and my parents.” The church, she said, “was supposed to be a safe place.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/us/26jesuits.html
One of the plaintiffs, Dorothea Skalicky, was living on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in northern Idaho in the 1970s when she said she was abused by a Jesuit priest who ran Sacred Heart Church, in Lapwai. Ms. Skalicky, now 42, said that her family lived across from the church for several years, and that she was abused from age 6 to 8.
“My family looked up to him,” Ms. Skalicky said of the priest, who is deceased. “He was somebody high up that was respected by the community and my parents.” The church, she said, “was supposed to be a safe place.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/us/26jesuits.html
Friday, March 25, 2011
Bail Denied For Former Pastor Charged With Sex Crime
UNION, S.C. --
A magistrate has denied bond for the former Union County pastor arrested this week and charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Stephen Douglas Berry, 38, of Jonesville, was associate pastor at New Life Baptist Church, though he was not working there at the time of his arrest.
However, according to an incident report, Berry had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl beginning in May 2010 through November 2010, at which time he was employed with the church.
The report states Berry had intercourse with the girl a number of times and at "various locations."
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/22/12/former-upstate-pastor-charged-sex-crime-ar-1612630/
A magistrate has denied bond for the former Union County pastor arrested this week and charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Stephen Douglas Berry, 38, of Jonesville, was associate pastor at New Life Baptist Church, though he was not working there at the time of his arrest.
However, according to an incident report, Berry had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl beginning in May 2010 through November 2010, at which time he was employed with the church.
The report states Berry had intercourse with the girl a number of times and at "various locations."
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2011/mar/22/12/former-upstate-pastor-charged-sex-crime-ar-1612630/
Catholic priest re-arrested: he faces more abuse allegations
Father Alexander Bede Walsh already faces 17 counts of indecent assault and two of serious sexual offences against four boys.
He was arrested on Wednesday regarding further allegations of sexual assault and has been bailed pending inquiries.
In relation to the 19 counts he is charged with, Walsh is alleged to have abused the boys in the 1980s and 1990s when they were aged between eight and 16.
Staffordshire Police charged Walsh on January 11 following a long investigation and he is due to enter pleas at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court next month.
The 57-year-old, from Abbots Bromley, served the parish of Cheadle for 14 years before moving to a church in Oxfordshire in 1999.
He was a governor and chaplain at Painsley Catholic High School, Cheadle, and a governor at its feeder schools.
Walsh had been working as a chef at Aston Hall, a home for retired and convalescent priests in Aston-by-Stone.
The home is run by the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Walsh started working there on a voluntary basis in 2009 until he was charged.
Seventeen of the alleged offences, said to have been committed in Cheadle, Cotton and Chapelfields, Coventry, involve indecent assaults on boys between 1982 and 1994.
The other two charges are for serious sexual offences said to have been committed between May 18, 1985, and May 17, 1986, and May 18, 1986, and May 17, 1987, in Cotton.
It is understood the new allegations relate to three other boys.
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Priest-faces-abuse-allegations/article-3373594-detail/article.html
He was arrested on Wednesday regarding further allegations of sexual assault and has been bailed pending inquiries.
In relation to the 19 counts he is charged with, Walsh is alleged to have abused the boys in the 1980s and 1990s when they were aged between eight and 16.
The 57-year-old, from Abbots Bromley, served the parish of Cheadle for 14 years before moving to a church in Oxfordshire in 1999.
He was a governor and chaplain at Painsley Catholic High School, Cheadle, and a governor at its feeder schools.
Walsh had been working as a chef at Aston Hall, a home for retired and convalescent priests in Aston-by-Stone.
The home is run by the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
Walsh started working there on a voluntary basis in 2009 until he was charged.
Seventeen of the alleged offences, said to have been committed in Cheadle, Cotton and Chapelfields, Coventry, involve indecent assaults on boys between 1982 and 1994.
The other two charges are for serious sexual offences said to have been committed between May 18, 1985, and May 17, 1986, and May 18, 1986, and May 17, 1987, in Cotton.
It is understood the new allegations relate to three other boys.
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Priest-faces-abuse-allegations/article-3373594-detail/article.html
Police: Pastor arrested for paying for sex
A Miamisburg clergyman was arrested Tuesday evening in Dayton after he allegedly paid a prostitute $20 for oral sex.
John Naylor, 65, is the pastor for visitation and senior adults at the First Church of God, according to the church’s website. He told officers he had picked up the woman in the 3200 block of East Third Street, took her to a home on King, where he paid her for the sex act.
Naylor told police he had visited a person at a hospital then went out “cruising”. Naylor said he had done the same them three or four times before.
Telephone calls went unanswered at the church Wednesday morning, and there is no listing for Naylor in the Dayton area.
Plain clothes vice officers were monitoring East Third, a known prostitution hot spot, when one saw a known prostitute. Before the officer could turn around to contact the woman, a 2009 Chevy pickup stopped and the woman got in the passenger’s seat.
Detectives observed what they believed to be the woman groping the driver, a common ploy to determine whether the prospective customer is an undercover police officer. The detectives were able to follow the truck to King Avenue, where they observed the woman and the driver enter the house. Eight minutes later, the couple came out of the house to be greeted by detectives.
Interviewed separately, the woman said she was just looking for a house to purchase. Naylor told detectives he had picked up the woman and driven her to the house “and that was all,” according to the police report.
When asked what might have transpired inside the house, Naylor said, “We made out.” Detectives suggested the activity went further than making out. Naylor then admitted to sex for money.
Told of Naylor’s statements, the woman changed her story, confirming Naylor’s statements. She said she was a heroin addict and needed the money for her drugs.
Naylor was taken to the county lockup. He faces possible misdemeanor prostitution-related charges when he makes his court appearance.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/daytoncrime/entries/2011/03/23/a_miamisburg_clergyman_was_arr.html
John Naylor, 65, is the pastor for visitation and senior adults at the First Church of God, according to the church’s website. He told officers he had picked up the woman in the 3200 block of East Third Street, took her to a home on King, where he paid her for the sex act.
Naylor told police he had visited a person at a hospital then went out “cruising”. Naylor said he had done the same them three or four times before.
Telephone calls went unanswered at the church Wednesday morning, and there is no listing for Naylor in the Dayton area.
Plain clothes vice officers were monitoring East Third, a known prostitution hot spot, when one saw a known prostitute. Before the officer could turn around to contact the woman, a 2009 Chevy pickup stopped and the woman got in the passenger’s seat.
Detectives observed what they believed to be the woman groping the driver, a common ploy to determine whether the prospective customer is an undercover police officer. The detectives were able to follow the truck to King Avenue, where they observed the woman and the driver enter the house. Eight minutes later, the couple came out of the house to be greeted by detectives.
Interviewed separately, the woman said she was just looking for a house to purchase. Naylor told detectives he had picked up the woman and driven her to the house “and that was all,” according to the police report.
When asked what might have transpired inside the house, Naylor said, “We made out.” Detectives suggested the activity went further than making out. Naylor then admitted to sex for money.
Told of Naylor’s statements, the woman changed her story, confirming Naylor’s statements. She said she was a heroin addict and needed the money for her drugs.
Naylor was taken to the county lockup. He faces possible misdemeanor prostitution-related charges when he makes his court appearance.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/daytoncrime/entries/2011/03/23/a_miamisburg_clergyman_was_arr.html
Youth pastor arrested for luring a minor
A 24-year-old Albany youth pastor was arrested on March 4 and charged with luring a minor.
Sean Peter Feltman, of Albany, is a youth pastor with the Willamette Community Church in Albany. He was taken into custody without incident at a residence in Linn County following a grand jury indictment.
The investigation began on Jan. 9, when the parents of a 14-year-old member of Feltman’s church youth group reported their daughter received sexually explicit communication via text messages and online messaging from the suspect.
Anyone with information regarding Feltman or other potential victims is asked to contact the Albany Police Department Detective Division at (541) 917-7686.
http://www.lebanon-express.com/news/local/article_1b55cce2-54cc-11e0-b5c8-001cc4c03286.html
Sean Peter Feltman, of Albany, is a youth pastor with the Willamette Community Church in Albany. He was taken into custody without incident at a residence in Linn County following a grand jury indictment.
The investigation began on Jan. 9, when the parents of a 14-year-old member of Feltman’s church youth group reported their daughter received sexually explicit communication via text messages and online messaging from the suspect.
Anyone with information regarding Feltman or other potential victims is asked to contact the Albany Police Department Detective Division at (541) 917-7686.
http://www.lebanon-express.com/news/local/article_1b55cce2-54cc-11e0-b5c8-001cc4c03286.html
Police Look for More Alleged Victims of Former S.C. Youth Pastor
Joe David Nelms, a former youth pastor at Pacific Coast Church, faces eight felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14.
http://sanclemente.patch.com/articles/police-look-for-more-alleged-victims-of-former-sc-youth-pastor
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Priest Accused Of Abusing Boy, Turning Home Into 'Erotic Dungeon' Surrenders To Police
AP) SAO PAULO - A Polish priest accused of sexually abusing a former altar boy in Rio de Janeiro and turning his parish home into an "erotic dungeon" has surrendered and is now in police custody, a public safety official said Saturday.
State prosecutors have accused Marcin Michael Strachanowski of handcuffing the 16-year-old former altar boy to a bed three years ago in the parish house where the priest lived and threatening to kill the youth if he spoke of the abuse.
Judge Alexandre Abrahao Dias said that investigators found "erotic material sent to the victim via Internet to seduce him" and that the priest also took other youths to the parish house, "which he converted into a kind of erotic dungeon where he submitted them, often with the use of handcuffs, to orgies."
Also last month, 83-year-old Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa was detained in northeastern Brazil for alleged abuse of at least three boys after being caught on videotape having sex with a former altar boy who was an adult when the video was filmed. Barbosa is under house arrest while authorities investigate. Two other priests in the same archdiocese are also accused of abuses.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/24/priest-accused-of-abusing_n_587701.html
State prosecutors have accused Marcin Michael Strachanowski of handcuffing the 16-year-old former altar boy to a bed three years ago in the parish house where the priest lived and threatening to kill the youth if he spoke of the abuse.
Judge Alexandre Abrahao Dias said that investigators found "erotic material sent to the victim via Internet to seduce him" and that the priest also took other youths to the parish house, "which he converted into a kind of erotic dungeon where he submitted them, often with the use of handcuffs, to orgies."
Also last month, 83-year-old Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa was detained in northeastern Brazil for alleged abuse of at least three boys after being caught on videotape having sex with a former altar boy who was an adult when the video was filmed. Barbosa is under house arrest while authorities investigate. Two other priests in the same archdiocese are also accused of abuses.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/24/priest-accused-of-abusing_n_587701.html
Monastery priest accused of sex assault
PALOCHON TWP. - A priest from a Susquehanna County monastery is accused of sexually assaulting a teen boy whose family was staying at the cloistered retreat in Little Meadows.
Phillip Albert Ferrara, 48, of 550 Lake of the Meadows Road, Little Meadows, formerly of LeRaysville, faces three counts of indecent assault of a person under the age of 16 and three corruption of minor charges stemming from incidents that occurred between Nov. 3, 2010, and Jan. 2.`All are misdemeanor counts. Tpr. Mark Keyes filed the charges against the priest.
Ferrara turned himself in at the Gibson State Police barracks Friday at about 9:30 a.m.
He is referred to as Superior Hieromonk Angelus on the monastery's website but no additional background is given as to his religious training.
The juvenile was on retreat with his family at the Our Lady of Solitude monastery, 550 Lake of Meadows Dr., in Apolacon Twp., at the time of the alleged incidents.
According to the affidavit, Ferrara was introduced to the victim's family as the administrator at the Eastern Catholic cloistered monastery.
Police interviewed Ferrara on March 9 with his attorney Charlie Wage present. According to police, the priest admitted having inappropriate contact with the minor on three separate occasions but indicated to police it was for a medical problem.
http://thedailyreview.com/news/monastery-priest-accused-of-sex-assault-1.1120988
Phillip Albert Ferrara, 48, of 550 Lake of the Meadows Road, Little Meadows, formerly of LeRaysville, faces three counts of indecent assault of a person under the age of 16 and three corruption of minor charges stemming from incidents that occurred between Nov. 3, 2010, and Jan. 2.`All are misdemeanor counts. Tpr. Mark Keyes filed the charges against the priest.
Ferrara turned himself in at the Gibson State Police barracks Friday at about 9:30 a.m.
He is referred to as Superior Hieromonk Angelus on the monastery's website but no additional background is given as to his religious training.
The juvenile was on retreat with his family at the Our Lady of Solitude monastery, 550 Lake of Meadows Dr., in Apolacon Twp., at the time of the alleged incidents.
According to the affidavit, Ferrara was introduced to the victim's family as the administrator at the Eastern Catholic cloistered monastery.
Police interviewed Ferrara on March 9 with his attorney Charlie Wage present. According to police, the priest admitted having inappropriate contact with the minor on three separate occasions but indicated to police it was for a medical problem.
http://thedailyreview.com/news/monastery-priest-accused-of-sex-assault-1.1120988
Family Sex Scandal Clouds The Cooking Queen Paula Deen
TV cooking queen Paula Deen has a shocking family secret – her brother-in-law, a Catholic priest, was arrested for sexual battery.
A sex predator sting operation in Savannah, Ga., led to the bust of Henry “Hank” Bowers Groover – the 56-year-old brother of Paula’s husband Michael – after he fondled the crotch of an undercover officer, according to police documents.
Groover was picked up on Nov. 17, 2003, at a seedy hangout where people meet and indulge in public sex. The bombshell arrest took place at the President’s Street Boat Ramp on the outskirts of trendy Savannah – less than five miles from the multimillion-dollar waterfront home where Paula and Michael now live.
“While conducting surveillance I was walking behind the restrooms when a subject, later identified as Henry Bowers Groover, walked out of the restroom and waved for me to follow him,” reported former Chatham County detective Yujean Foster.
“Groover walked to a heavily covered area of the walking trail and then stopped and unzipped his pants. he asked me my name and asked if I was from around here. Groover then said, ‘What do you like?’ and reached out and rubbed my crotch.
http://johnjohnsaidit.com/family-sex-scandal-clouds-the-cooking-queen-paula-deen/
A sex predator sting operation in Savannah, Ga., led to the bust of Henry “Hank” Bowers Groover – the 56-year-old brother of Paula’s husband Michael – after he fondled the crotch of an undercover officer, according to police documents.
Groover was picked up on Nov. 17, 2003, at a seedy hangout where people meet and indulge in public sex. The bombshell arrest took place at the President’s Street Boat Ramp on the outskirts of trendy Savannah – less than five miles from the multimillion-dollar waterfront home where Paula and Michael now live.
“While conducting surveillance I was walking behind the restrooms when a subject, later identified as Henry Bowers Groover, walked out of the restroom and waved for me to follow him,” reported former Chatham County detective Yujean Foster.
“Groover walked to a heavily covered area of the walking trail and then stopped and unzipped his pants. he asked me my name and asked if I was from around here. Groover then said, ‘What do you like?’ and reached out and rubbed my crotch.
http://johnjohnsaidit.com/family-sex-scandal-clouds-the-cooking-queen-paula-deen/
Youth pastor arrested for luring a minor
A 24-year-old Albany youth pastor was arrested on March 4 and charged with luring a minor.
Sean Peter Feltman, of Albany, is a youth pastor with the Willamette Community Church in Albany. He was taken into custody without incident at a residence in Linn County following a grand jury indictment.
The investigation began on Jan. 9, when the parents of a 14-year-old member of Feltman’s church youth group reported their daughter received sexually explicit communication via text messages and online messaging from the suspect.
http://www.lebanon-express.com/news/local/article_1b55cce2-54cc-11e0-b5c8-001cc4c03286.html
Sean Peter Feltman, of Albany, is a youth pastor with the Willamette Community Church in Albany. He was taken into custody without incident at a residence in Linn County following a grand jury indictment.
The investigation began on Jan. 9, when the parents of a 14-year-old member of Feltman’s church youth group reported their daughter received sexually explicit communication via text messages and online messaging from the suspect.
http://www.lebanon-express.com/news/local/article_1b55cce2-54cc-11e0-b5c8-001cc4c03286.html
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Pastor Accused of Not Giving Communion without Tax Refunds
A Texas pastor has been accused by some of his parishioners of refusing to give them communion if they don’t donate their tax refunds to his church.
The pastor, John Goodman of the Houston Unity Baptist Church, denied linking the communion to the donations. However, he told the local Fox News station in Houston that he had made an appeal for donations from tax refunds to help build a parking lot for the church, which would enable the church to keep the property. He said only four or five members of the church donate any money, and he called the rest of them “devils” and demons.”
http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/Pastor-Accused-Not-Giving-Communion-without-Tax-Refunds-57717-1.html
The pastor, John Goodman of the Houston Unity Baptist Church, denied linking the communion to the donations. However, he told the local Fox News station in Houston that he had made an appeal for donations from tax refunds to help build a parking lot for the church, which would enable the church to keep the property. He said only four or five members of the church donate any money, and he called the rest of them “devils” and demons.”
http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/Pastor-Accused-Not-Giving-Communion-without-Tax-Refunds-57717-1.html
Neb. pastor accused of improper conduct in Wis.
OMAHA, Neb.—
A pastor was removed from a Nebraska church after a letter surfaced about improper conduct and a collection of photographs he had decades ago that led to his dismissal from a Jesuit high school in Wisconsin, the Omaha archdiocese announced.According to a statement from the archdiocese, the letter said Robinson gave the student "an inappropriate back rub" and had nude photos of boys and men. He was dismissed from the school in 1988.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent a letter Thursday to the Society of Jesus calling for the release of information about Robinson so he could face criminal prosecution. The letter said Robinson was twice sent to a treatment center for sexual disorders the church runs in Maryland before his initial assignment to St. Gerald's in 1989.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ne-clergyabuse,0,7465451.story
Youth pastor accused of abusing boys
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A youth pastor at a Vancouver church is accused of abusing two teenage boys during devotions.
It’s a huge blow for The Wesleyan Church in Northeast Vancouver. Jason Lee Wolk, 25, thought to be spiritually advising teenagers is now accused of sexually abusing two of the boys.
According to court documents, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old told detectives Wolk mentored them through the church youth group and the alleged abuse happened between June and December.
The youngest said he did devotions with Wolk in order to help with his “Christian life walk.” He told detectives that the two would read on his bed with Wolk’s arm reportedly around the boy’s shoulder. Two weeks in, while discussing temptation, the teenager said that Wolk touched him inappropriately over his clothes. The victim said it happened again, four or five times, and one of those times it was at Wolk’s house in his bedroom.
The teenager said Wolk made him strip to his boxers and lay in bed next to him. While praying, the teenager said Wolk again touched him inappropriately. Then he got up to take a shower in order to “get ready for church.”
http://vancouver.katu.com/news/crime/youth-pastor-accused-abusing-boys/439285
It’s a huge blow for The Wesleyan Church in Northeast Vancouver. Jason Lee Wolk, 25, thought to be spiritually advising teenagers is now accused of sexually abusing two of the boys.
According to court documents, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old told detectives Wolk mentored them through the church youth group and the alleged abuse happened between June and December.
The youngest said he did devotions with Wolk in order to help with his “Christian life walk.” He told detectives that the two would read on his bed with Wolk’s arm reportedly around the boy’s shoulder. Two weeks in, while discussing temptation, the teenager said that Wolk touched him inappropriately over his clothes. The victim said it happened again, four or five times, and one of those times it was at Wolk’s house in his bedroom.
The teenager said Wolk made him strip to his boxers and lay in bed next to him. While praying, the teenager said Wolk again touched him inappropriately. Then he got up to take a shower in order to “get ready for church.”
http://vancouver.katu.com/news/crime/youth-pastor-accused-abusing-boys/439285
Pastor Says He Had Sex With Teens To Cure Their Homosexuality
A former youth Pastor is out on bond today after he admitted to authorities that he had sex with teenage boys to cure them of their homosexuality.
31-year-old Brent Girouex of Council Bluffs, Iowa was arrested earlier this month on 60 counts of suspicion of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist.
In February, Girouex reportedly told police that he had sexual contact with four young men starting in 2007 in order to help them gain “sexual purity in the eyes of God.”
Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber told local paper The Daily Nonpareil that at least eight men have come forward with complaints that Girouex molested them.
Three young men who were teens at the time of their molestation told authorities that they went to Giourex's home for help with “sexual purity.”
One of them in particular estimates that he had sex with the Pastor 50 to 100 times.
Giourex reportedly gave details to authorities and told them,
“When they would ejaculate, they would be getting rid of the evil thoughts in their mind."
http://hiphopwired.com/2011/03/22/pastor-says-he-had-sex-with-teens-to-cure-their-homosexuality/
31-year-old Brent Girouex of Council Bluffs, Iowa was arrested earlier this month on 60 counts of suspicion of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist.
In February, Girouex reportedly told police that he had sexual contact with four young men starting in 2007 in order to help them gain “sexual purity in the eyes of God.”
Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber told local paper The Daily Nonpareil that at least eight men have come forward with complaints that Girouex molested them.
Three young men who were teens at the time of their molestation told authorities that they went to Giourex's home for help with “sexual purity.”
One of them in particular estimates that he had sex with the Pastor 50 to 100 times.
Giourex reportedly gave details to authorities and told them,
“When they would ejaculate, they would be getting rid of the evil thoughts in their mind."
http://hiphopwired.com/2011/03/22/pastor-says-he-had-sex-with-teens-to-cure-their-homosexuality/
Monday, March 21, 2011
Ex-priest finishes jail term for abuse
A former Jesuit priest and teacher at Boston College High School was released from prison Friday after serving time for a 2005 conviction on sexual abuse charges, according to the state correction department.
Suffolk County prosecutors tried Talbot in 2002 on sexual abuse charges. In 2005, he was sentenced after pleading guilty to raping and sexually assaulting two of his students between 1977 and 1979 and was sentenced to five to seven years.
Prosecutors said Talbot, who coached the school’s wrestling team, encouraged male students on the team to wrestle with him in the locker room wearing little or no clothing. He would then molest or rape his victim, charges said.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/20/ex_priest_finishes_jail_term_for_abuse/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/20/ex_priest_finishes_jail_term_for_abuse/
Explosion at church latest in violent Jos religious feud
An explosion struck near a church this morning in the Nigerian city of Jos where hundreds have been killed in religious violence in the last few months.
It was not clear what caused the explosion in Jos, which has been at the centre of massacres and targeted killings between Christians and Muslims. Dozens of ethnic groups vie for control of fertile lands in the area.
Politics, jobs and land often spark violence that falls along religious lines and has left thousands dead in recent years.
Human Rights Watch estimates that 200 people have died since December.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/102484
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Youth Minister Rapes Teen
A youth minister was arrested Friday for having sex with a teenage girl, according to Wilmington Police.
Robert Stoner of Wilmington was taken into custody, accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
Stoner allegedly met his victim last month at the Miracle Temple Holy Church on E. 11th Street in Wilmington where he was a youth minister, police said.
Police got involved when the teen didn't come home Thursday night and her mother reported her missing, according to court records.
Police found the girl walking home and took her to the hospital where she reported that Stoner raped her, authorities said.
Stoner, 38, admitted having sex with the teen six times in his home while his son was sleeping, according to court records.
He is charged with six counts of third-degree rape, police said.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Youth-Minister-Charged-with-Rape-police-118274039.html
Little Meadows Priest Arrest
A Little Meadows, Pennsylvania priest has been arrested for alleged sexual contact with a teenage boy.
PA State Police say the incident occurred last November at the Our Lady of Solitude Retreat Center in Little Meadows. According to WBRE-TV in Scranton, 48-year old Father Phillip Ferrara turned himself in to state police this morning. The 14 year-old victim reportedly claims he was assaulted multiple times last year while he and his family were staying near the retreat center. Among the allegations, that the priest forced the boy to massage him with oil.
PA State Police say the incident occurred last November at the Our Lady of Solitude Retreat Center in Little Meadows. According to WBRE-TV in Scranton, 48-year old Father Phillip Ferrara turned himself in to state police this morning. The 14 year-old victim reportedly claims he was assaulted multiple times last year while he and his family were staying near the retreat center. Among the allegations, that the priest forced the boy to massage him with oil.
Texas youth pastor arrested in 1993 molestation case
A youth pastor who has worked with minors in San Clemente and in Texas was in custody Friday on charges that he molested an underage girl 15 years ago, officials said.
Now 47, Joe David Nelms was taken into custody in Lindale, Texas, on suspicion of molesting a girl for three years beginning in 1993. Authorities said Nelms molested the girl in his former home, car and in a church office in Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente, where he worked as a youth pastor.
Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Department are looking to extradite Nelms to Orange County to face charges, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the department.
Investigators began to investigate the allegations March 4, when the victim came forward to officials, Amormino said.
"She said ever since the abuse, she wanted to tell somebody, but she never had the strength," Amormino said.
The victim lived in San Clemente when the abuse took place, but she now lives on the East Coast, Amormino said. She was under 14 when it took place.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/amormino-292802-nelms-pastor.html
Now 47, Joe David Nelms was taken into custody in Lindale, Texas, on suspicion of molesting a girl for three years beginning in 1993. Authorities said Nelms molested the girl in his former home, car and in a church office in Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente, where he worked as a youth pastor.
Joe Nelms.
COURTESY OF THE ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
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Investigators began to investigate the allegations March 4, when the victim came forward to officials, Amormino said.
"She said ever since the abuse, she wanted to tell somebody, but she never had the strength," Amormino said.
The victim lived in San Clemente when the abuse took place, but she now lives on the East Coast, Amormino said. She was under 14 when it took place.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/amormino-292802-nelms-pastor.html
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