SEX:
SEX LIVES OF THE CLERGY, OR THEY REALLY WANT YOU NOW.
Anyone who leads astray one of these little ones who believe
in me be drowned! MAT. 18:6
Clergy sex abuse is one scandal that will continually rock the religious world time and time again. We know that
it’s not going away even with the best intentions of the church leaders as we see new cases being reported weekly.
The effects are far reaching and with astounding costs attached both to the church community and the locations that it happens
in. Although, we hear of some justice being done on behalf of some of the victims there are many more out there yet
to tell their sordid tales of perversion by the hands of ministers and support staff. The truth is we haven’t
heard the half of it yet. In this article I will try to expose all sides of this mess from whose responsible, where
it’s happening, how much it really costs you and what’s happened to the victims and where the next out pouring
of victims will come from. But first the perpetrators.
As Americans we have been programmed to believe that sex abuse is mainly a problem predominately in the Catholic Church,
which is not true. The problem spans all denominations and religions and not just priests but other staff too.
We can recall the antics of the BTK murder that not only molested kids but went on to kill them; he was a deacon at his church.
We can also recall the stories of various nuns and other volunteers at church communities that have been responsible for the
same offences as priests. At this point we can assume that any member at a church could be a possible rapist, but why?
Simply put because the kids are there and parents feel safe enough to allow their kids to spend time alone with these pervs.
Which incidentally attracts the worst kinds of people that potentially may commit these crimes? In short, BEWARE parents
with this kind of environment in religious communities your kid could be next! Trust no one! Unfortunately the
law isn’t on your side.
I recall hearing a story of a priest, Frank Porter actually; he had molested hundreds of kids and was charged in Louisiana
but only spent a couple of days in jail then went on to molest hundreds more. Most people familiar with the case say
with certainty that the Catholic Church bought the court and the media outlets which covered up the case completely and unfortunately
for his future victims. There are many more cases just like this where the charges are either reduced or dismissed
all together! One reason beyond the obvious pressure by the religious organizations is the sheer cost of persecuting
a case of a religious person which in the 80s was around 1 million per allegation of abuse. We can imagine that has
since doubled if not tripled now. The reason is simply this, it’s a hard case to investigate due to the
protections that they have being a religious. The modern translation of the constitution has really worked against the
average victim of abuse. The land is protected and also documents can easily be concealed on behalf of religious freedom,
and the churches are taking advantage of that to the fullest and it’s not stopping even though it simply victimizes
the victims even more.
What has happened to the millions of victims that were abused by clergy and staff over the years is even more heartbreaking.
Historically cases of abuse were generally settled out of court in church offices for miniscule amounts or in some cases nothing
at all. It became a tried and true procedure of the churches to threaten not only the victims but their families too.
The bishop, monsignor, priest would generally give the family the same story that they were either looking into their allegation
or the priest may be moved to another diocese or the case closed. If any further pressure by the family resulted in
ostracized from the congregation and community as the church in their demented plans of blaming the victim for what their
adult staff had committed.
What happened to the victim’s effect us all personally as they reside in our communities
as the rapists move away we are left to fix a devastating mess. The result of such a deplorable act resonates years,
sometimes entire lifetimes after the event. It may compel drug use or depression or some other form of debilitating
mental illness that has transformed an other wise healthy and contributing member of our committees into someone that can
no longer cope with what had happened. This human tragedy in the end may cost their lives or cost us extreme amounts
of our money to rehabilitate them to a point of becoming a productive person in society. Although, the cost we share
with the victims doesn’t end there, then came the bankruptcies.
Most people think that the victims of clergy abuse receive millions of dollars for settlements, which isn’t even
close to what they actually receive, which is more like thousandths instead. They very well may not receive anything
at all due to bankruptcy, which many dioceses are currently involved in. Many are fighting to receive any compensation
at all as the church has managed to beat them to court in order to file their bankruptcies and screw the victims once more.
They truly give them hell in order to “save” their properties, which are tax exempt anyway. We the common
tax payer are the ones who, along with the victims, are the ones who are paying the real cost of this mess. It’s
never going to end!
As cases of sex abuse are continually being reported by both men and women of all denominations the fact that this will
end is neigh! As the position of clergy will never cease to exist nor change as it’s the job it’s self that
both compels rapists to join for the easy access to kids and the ever ready alibi’s with congregation backing. We’ve
only seen a small sliver of what’s to come. There are entire countries that haven’t allowed their residents
to voice their abuses, YET!! We will be seeing many more cases like the ones I’ve added below
as evidence to the victims of this tragedy.
PIC OF poe
KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN REVIEWING THE OTHER STORIES!
Feb 10, 2:25 AM EST
Convicted Child Molester
Gets 800 Years
======= not clergy========
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The former roommate of one of the nation's
most prolific child molesters was sentenced Friday to at least 800 years in prison for sexually abusing three boys.
Fred
Everts, 36, was convicted last year of molesting the youngsters, ages 3, 9 and 11. He was sentenced to 800 years to life.
AND THIS>>>>>>>>>>
After I was ordained in 1959, I learned that some priests had sex
with adults and even minors and to some degree this behavior was taken for granted by church authorities...an atmosphere of
crisis regarding this issue did not exist. The secret world of sexual activity with minors, was known by the Catholic hierarchy,
and though considered unfortunate and morally wrong, was accepted as an inevitable and easily forgivable failure of some priests.
(Sipe, A.W.R. Preliminary Expert Report, Trial of Fr Rudolph Kos)
Pic of val::: p.s. there’s an Easter egg in here,
find it and click!
Priest defrocked after allegations of abusing girls studying to become nuns
By Associated Press, 6/1/2004 16:15
BOSTON
(AP) A priest accused of sexually abusing girls studying to become nuns has been removed from the priesthood, the Archdiocese
of Boston announced Tuesday.
Robert V. Meffan allegedly recruited girls to become nuns and
documents in Meffan's personnel file, made public in
2002.
Police: Pastor Used Fear Of Devil To Have Sex With Women
Trial Set For Next Year
UPDATED: 1:23 PM EST November 29, 2004
SAN DIEGO -- A National City, Calif., pastor accused of using the fear of the devil to persuade women in his congregation
to have sex with him will go on trial next year.
Carlos Romero, 59, faces up to five years and eight months in prison if convicted of three felony counts, including making
a criminal threat.
Celibate monk nailed for attempted whoremongering
Herald Sun | Submitted by: Reid Fleming
"He had been celibate
almost his entire life but when a Buddhist monk finally decided to break his vow by going with a prostitute he managed to
pick an undercover police officer. Hoa Trung Nguyen, 47, from the Phap Bao Temple
Family Sues Mormon Church
Posted December 10, 2004 4:58pm
A Fulton County family is suing the Mormon Church
for the circumstances it alleges led to the sexual assault of a young girl.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday at the Peoria
Federal Court.
The plaintiff says Mormon Church member Mark Thomas molested a 4-year-old girl about two years ago when
her parents were worshipping at a Nauvoo temple.
Church counselor charged with child molesting
Star report
December 11, 2004
A Fishers man who is a youth counselor at his father's Indianapolis Eastside church was charged with having a sexual
relationship with a 12-year-old girl who is a church member, police said Friday.
R.H. Duncan Jr., of Greater One Way Apostolic Church, 5840 E. 16th St., was charged with five felony counts of child
molestation Wednesday, said Indianapolis Child Abuse Unit Detective Chris Lawrence.
Pastor convicted of molesting preteen daughter December 29, 2004
KATU-TV 2 Portland | Submitted
by: Reid Fleming
"A jury has found a 36-year-old Albany pastor guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse on his
daughter. Jurors deliberated for a day-and-a-half in the trial of Timothy Sean Sullivan, pastor of the Liberty Christian Center.
Published Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Pastor Faces Sex Crime Charges
By Lauren Glenn
The Ledger
DOUGLAS, Ariz. -- A former Wahneta youth pastor was arrested Monday on charges that he molested a 6-year-old Polk County
boy in 1996, and possibly other young boys in Michigan and North Carolina.
Robert Enersen, 54, of 1424 E. 13th St., was taken into custody by Douglas police on three charges of lewd assault on
a child.
Mormon Church Worker Charged With Child Sex Abuse
Volunteer Held At Methuen Jail
POSTED: 6:39 am EST January 5, 2005
UPDATED: 8:14 am EST January 5, 2005
METHUEN, Mass. -- Child abuse charges have been filed against a volunteer at a Mormon church in Methuen.
Newscenter 5's Gail Huff reported that the suspect in the case was scheduled to be arraigned at Lawrence District Court
Wednesday morning. He was identified as Kevin F. Curlew, 43, of Dracut, Mass. He was a volunteer at the Church of Jesus Christ
of the Latter Day Saints.
Pastor charged with sex abuse
By Melody Mcdonald
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - The accusers just
kept surfacing.
First the Rev. Larry Nuell Neathery was arrested in April on allegations that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old
male church member.
Minister, wife arrested on lewd act charge
By Kelly Marshall
The Sun News
A Darlington youth minister and
his wife were arrested by Horry County police Wednesday after being charged with committing a lewd act on a minor and contributing
to the delinquency of a minor.
Richard N. Johnson, 34, and his wife, Natalie Johnson, 27, are being investigated for an incident that reportedly happened
in 2001 in Myrtle Beach, police said.
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Church librarian arrested, failed to register as sex offender
By Jim Patten
Staff
Writer
METHUEN -- The librarian at the Methuen Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was arrested yesterday at his
Andover home and charged with failure to register as a sex offender, police said.
Christian school principal convicted of fucking pupil
WKMG-TV 6 Orlando | Submitted by: Reid Fleming
"The
principal of a small Christian school was convicted of sexually molesting a female student. The Rev. Jerry Lee Pitts, 38,
was found guilty Thursday of lewd and lascivious battery and molestation.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Pastor wed to girl, 10, says it's legal
He appeared in a Montreal court on five sex-abuse charges.
CP 2005-01-20 02:53:25
MONTREAL -- A man who married a girl when she was 10 said yesterday he did nothing illegal because, he argues,
Canadian law allows people of any age to wed. The law has been kept secret from the public, the man told his preliminary hearing
on five sex-abuse charges.
Diocese divulges new cases
By Todd Ruger
.
A new report issued Tuesday by the Catholic Diocese of Davenport states that 96 people have made 108 allegations
that 25 members of the clergy sexually abused them as children.
.
The latest figures reflect 48 new allegations of decades-old
abuse by 41 people since February, when the diocese first reported on all accusations since 1950 in its internal review of
personnel files while facing mounting pressure from sexual abuse lawsuits.
NEWARK — A Hebron pastor is being held
in the Licking County Justice Center, accused of sexually assaulting a girl who frequently attended his church.
Lonny J. Aleshire Jr., 34, associate pastor at the Licking Baptist Church, 1380 Beaver Run Road, Hebron, is charged with
one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony.
BOSTON — A Jesuit priest who taught and coached at Boston College High School was sentenced Tuesday for molesting
two teenage boys during wrestling drills.
The Rev. James Talbot was sentenced to five to seven years, plus three years of probation, during a hearing in Suffolk
Superior Court. The 67-year-old priest pleaded guilty earlier this month just before he was to go on trial.
Pastor allegedly propositions girl, 12, and mom
Daily Item of Lynn | Submitted by: Reid Fleming
"The pastor
of St. John The Evangelist Church resigned on Friday after being accused earlier in the week of asking a 12-year-old girl
and her mother to perform a sex act for money. The Rev. Jerome Gillespie, 55, who was formerly the pastor of Sacred Heart
Church in Lynn
Married church secretary allegedly fucks jailbait
Minneapolis Star Tribune | Submitted by: Oobatz
"A married
mother of two, she was active in the community as a church secretary and the president of a children's theater company in
Austin, Minn. Now, to the surprise of colleagues, Carrie Parker is charged with 13 counts of criminal sexual conduct involving
a boy who will be 16 this week
Shanley convicted of raping altar boy
BBC | Submitted by: the catholic love boat
"A court in the United States
has convicted defrocked Roman Catholic priest Paul Shanley of raping a boy at a Massachusetts church in the 1980s
.
Associated Press
Originally published June 9, 2002
At least 300 civil lawsuits alleging clerical sex abuse
have been filed in 16 states since January, when the case of a pedophile priest in Boston spurred claims against Roman Catholic
dioceses across America, a nationwide review has found.
Lawyers say the rush of litigation is unusual for such a short time, and several hundred more cases are being informally
mediated between dioceses and accusers.
Mystic priest asked to leave due to sex allegations
NORWICH (AP) --
The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich has asked a priest in Mystic to leave because of allegations of past sexual
misconduct with minors.
Former Mormon stake president sentenced for online sex soliciting
By The Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A former Mormon stake president from Montana was sentenced to three years and five months in prison
for soliciting someone he believed to be a teenage girl for sex on the Internet and then traveling to Boise to meet her.
U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced Clayton R. Hildreth, 52, of Dillon, Mont., on Tuesday.
Hildreth pleaded guilty in October to a charge of interstate travel with intent to have sex with a minor.
Church worker faces sex charges in N.H.
By Associated Press
Saturday, February 26, 2005
NORTHFIELD, N.H. -- A church employee charged with sexual assault and theft will be returned to the state after a hearing
next week, authorities said yesterday.
Scott Nash, 46, of Northfield, was arrested
Wednesday at Kennedy Airport in New York as he got off a flight from Aruba.
He is charged
with molesting three young girls who are members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Tilton and taking more than $5,000 from the
church.
Jury finds church not liable in sexual harassment case
Central United Methodist Church's five-year nightmare ended jubilantly Friday when a federal jury decided it was not
liable to a former secretary for sexual harassment.
For Rita Cobbs, however, the ruling brought to an abrupt end her lengthy trek toward an elusive verdict.
The jury reached the unanimous decision Friday after deliberating for about two hours.
Cobbs accused Central of failing to protect her from a part-time minister who she said physically assaulted her in 1999
Arlington pastor indicted amid sex allegations
Associated Press
ARLINGTON — The pastor of an Arlington nondenominational church was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting
three women from his congregation.
The women say Terry L. Hornbuckle, 43, tried to entice them into sex by using
his influence as minister of the Agape Christian Fellowship. Two of the women alleged Hornbuckle drugged them before sexually
assaulting them.
PASTOR'S UNHOLY PASSION
March 25, 2005 -- A Queens minister sweet-talked a 16-year-old church member into an illicit tryst by telling her his
teddy-bear-filled bed was the gateway to the holy life, the woman told a jury yesterday.
"He would say that the priest
should sleep with the virgin," the woman said of accused pervert William Waynes, pastor of the New Beginning Outreach Love
Center in Corona.
Holy roller admits molesting preteen
Stuff NZ |
"He was a one-man megaphone for Christian indignation for
more than a decade. Now Graham Capill stands disgraced, a convicted child molester. His downfall has shocked former colleagues
and dealt a potentially fatal blow to Christian Heritage, the political party he led for 13 years. In Christchurch District
Court yesterday, the 46-year-old father of 10 admitted a charge of indecent assault for fondling an eight-year-old girl's
genitals
aug 8 2006: victoria aus., gerald francis ridsdale of ballarat catholic church, charges include 24 counts indecent assult
on 16 yr/old boy, 4 buggery, 7 gross indeceny. already serving 18yrs for prior similar charges.will get additional 15
more years.: plus 35 addtional counts were added later.
Aug 7 2006: Bishop Ron fabbro may defrock prieast Charles sylvestre for sex assaulting 47 girls in the diocese of
London. Priest is retired at 83. Abuses range between dates 1950-80. He was shuffled to many other parishes. Girls were between
9-14y/o.
Aug 7 2006: evangelicals are addicted to porn. (Market wire) christiannet.com conducted poll that found: 50%men and
20% of women of 1000 polled are addicted to porn, 60% having problems w/ lust, 40% involved in a sexual sin, 20% women struggle
w/ looking at porn on an ongoing basis.
May 19, 2006 Vatican suspends Fr marcial macial founder of legion of Christ for alleged sex abuse of over 100 victims,
dozen plus priest were also abused by him many in his society.
Aug 8 2006 queens land Aust. Raymond f. Ayles, anglican priest, 3 counts of indecent contact w/ boy in 1970. faced
a max penalty of 21 yrs prison got 4yrs instead
aug 8 2006, father neil gallanagh, 75, had molested 9 y/o boy was able to be freed due to promise of treatment
and molested again, 11 allegations of assulting deaf children at st johns in london.
8/8/06 eudlo: buddhist monk indecently touched 2 girls under 10y/o on institute grounds in the garden. ordained 2
yrs prior. peter jeffrey wilshire.
8/8/06 jericho, nassau supreme court: stephen parrish forced woman whom he was couseling to have sex w/ him and also
got her pregnant and couseled her into getting an abortion and she was forced to pay for the therapy sessions which she spent
30,000$ on. he denied charges.claiming to be a psychologist affiliated w/ church of jesus christ- latter-day saints in plainview
which he states he never represented himself as a psych. was exciommunicated by church.
8/8/06 summerstrand: a pastor raped, sodomized and manufactured child porn w/ stepdaughter between 2003-05 while she
was 15-17y/o. pleaded not guilty.also found in possession of drugs, vibrators.
8/8/06- chalerston- fr. lawrence sheedy molested 4 boys. btween '67-'68 morris,one of victim, lived in catholic ran
orphanage molested and recieved 160,000$ to pay for therapy. diocese of chalerston paid out 12million$ to victims.may
be addtional victims.mother superior miriam suspected abuse going on.
Lawsuit Claims Local Church Allowed Pastor's Inappropriate Relationship with Teen
By Lindy Thackston
First
Coast News
CLAY COUNTY, FL -- 47-year old Lonnie Broome met the victim in 1997 when he was Associate Pastor at Hope Baptist
Church in Starke. The victim was 15 at the time.
The victim tells police she had a sexual relationship with Broome from 1997 to 2001.
Ex-church choir leader arrested amid sex allegations
By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The Catholic
Church is wrestling with another sex abuse scandal involving a former choir director at one of its parishes in Houston.
Police
this week arrested German Rojas Moreno, 43, a former parishioner and choir director at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church
at 8200 Roos in southwest Houston.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
It's weird enough that a Christian-school teacher got pinched for prostitution.
Even weirder:
She allegedly was working Pekin, which never has prostitution arrests.
And weirdest of all: Police say she charged $200 per encounter
Man Accused Of Buying Porn With Church Money
DALTON, Ga. (AP) A Chatsworth man has been charged with
using a church's banking information to buy Internet porn.
Robbie Lee Ritchie was indicted Thursday by a Murray County
grand jury on 12 counts of financial identity fraud.
Authorities say Ritchie used a bank account number belonging to Central Church of Christ in Dalton to access pornography
Web sites numerous times last summer.
Preacher's Goddaughter Claims He Sexually Assaulted Her
Hammons Faces Up To 20 Years In Prison
POSTED: 10:20 am
CDT May 23, 2005
UPDATED: 12:59 pm CDT May 23, 2005
SAN ANTONIO -- A 21-year-old woman testified Monday that her uncle,
a former pastor of a West Side church, made sexual advances toward her when she was 12 years old.
Duane Hammons
New suit filed in church sex case
5/24/2005, 12:22 a.m. PT
The Associated Press
VENETA,
Ore. (AP) — A pastor who resigned from the New Hope Christian Center in Veneta last year has sued Pentecostal Church
of God officials, claiming they retaliated against him because he reported that a girl was sexually abused by an associate
pastor.
Man Says Nude Photos Of Teens Were Innocent
Defendant Told Police He Was Christian Missionary
POSTED: 8:22
pm EDT June 1, 2005
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- A Berks County man was found guilty of sexual abuse Wednesday, but Keith Tiffany,
45, said that the only thing he is guilty of spreading good will to children worldwide.
Charges include 24 counts of child pornography
By DEBRA LEMOINE
dlemoine@theadvocate.com Florida parishes bureau
HAMMOND -- A former Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's deputy faces 24 counts of possessing
child pornography in connection with alleged child sex abuse at a Ponchatoula church, but the child pornography does not depict
the alleged abuse, authorities said Monday
Church settles before jury issues verdict
The Church of God in Christ reaches a settlement with a woman who testified
to being sexually abused by a pastor
Thursday, June 16, 2005
ANNE SAKER
When the woman returned to court Wednesday,
her lawyer gave her news: The church had at last offered a settlement, rather than allow a Multnomah County jury consider
her claim that her North Portland pastor raped her as a teenager, and he went unpunished.
Pebble bride's anguish
Story: Glenn Ellard and AAP
Friday, 17 June 2005
Mother Mary comfort me
CONFUSED and frightened, a 15-year-old girl petitioned the Virgin Mary for help in dealing
with her "mystical marriage" to controversial religious leader William Kamm, also known as The Little Pebble.
June 21, 2005NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
Greenville Pastor Arrested For Taking Inappropriate Pictures
POSTED:
6:46 pm EDT July 19, 2005
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- A Greenville pastor was arrested over the weekend and has been charged with
illegally videotaping people at the beach.
Gallup Diocese publishes updated list of sexually abusive priests
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The Gallup Diocese has published an updated list of priests associated with the diocese who have credible
allegations of clergy sexual abuse; however, the updated list omits two names of men who have been publicly identified in
the past as abusers.
Michael Aten: The Gallup Diocesan Review Board for Juvenile Sexual Abuse publicly identified Aten in a May 16, 2003 press
release. The diocese has received more than one credible allegation against Aten, who is deceased.
James Burns: The review board also publicly identified Burns in the same press release. Based on research by The
Independent, Burns may have victimized more than a dozen children. He is currently completing an 18-month prison sentence
in Arizona for the sexual abuse of a boy in Winslow, Ariz. in the 1980s.
Clement A. Hageman: The Diocese of Gallup has identified Hageman as having more than one credible allegation made
against him. Hageman is deceased.
Jose Rodriguez: The review board publicly identified Rodriguez in its press release. More than one credible allegation
has been made against Rodriguez.
William C. Allison: The Diocese of Gallup has said there was one credible allegation against Allison, who is deceased.
Julian Hartig: The Diocese of Gallup and Albuquerque's Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe have both confirmed
there was one credible allegation against Hartig, who is deceased.
John T. Sullivan: This deceased priest was a notorious abuser who victimized many girls and young women in numerous
dioceses around the country. He served in the Diocese of Gallup for eight years before transferring to the Diocese of Phoenix.
The Diocese of Gallup has said that no victim has come forward from this diocese.
Francis "Frank" Murphy: Last reported to be a resident of Cuba, N.M., Murphy is a retired former monsignor from the
Archdiocese of Anchorage. The subject of a series of newspaper articles by the Anchorage Daily News, Murphy is reported to
have more than one credible allegation against him in Alaska. He only served as a priest in the Gallup Diocese for a very
brief time and no allegations have been brought against him since he moved here.
Santino "Tony" A. Casimano: Ordained in the Diocese of Gallup in August 1975, Casimano served here for only about
a year before moving to California and then becoming a Navy chaplain. While in California, but still a Gallup priest, Casimano
allegedly abused at least two boys. The Diocese of Orange settled those two clergy abuse lawsuits earlier this year.
Bruce MacArthur: The former priest from the Diocese of Sioux Falls is a convicted sex offender and a self-admitted
pedophile. He was convicted of attempting to rape a disabled nursing home patient in Texas, and he admitted to sexually abusing
at least 30 girls. He never served as a priest in the Diocese of Gallup, and he has no known victims here. However, The Independent
discovered MacArthur living in Gallup in 2003. He was volunteering in the kitchens of Casa San Martin and Villa Guadalupe,
the Little Sisters of the Poor's nursing home.
The following two men have been previously publicly identified as abusers
but the Diocese of Gallup did not list them in The Voice of the Southwest.
Douglas McNeill: This former Gallup priest was identified by the review board in its press release and later by diocese
officials. Deacon Timoteo Lujan, the chancellor of the diocese, told The Independent in December 2003 that Saint Bonaventure
School in Thoreau, N.M. paid a $135,000 settlement to McNeill's alleged victim. It is not known why McNeill's name was not
included in the diocese's list.
James Schlaffer: A Navajo woman contacted The Independent with a story of being abused by Schlaffer in July 1974
while she was a patient at the Gallup Indian Medical Center. Schlaffer, a priest from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, served
as a hospital chaplain here from June 1974 to May 1975. When contacted, the Milwaukee Archdiocese confirmed there had been
other allegations against Schlaffer involving unwanted sexual advances to adult women. Perhaps because the victim was 18 years
old at the time of the alleged incident, the Diocese of Gallup did not include Schlaffer in this list.
Indo-Asian News Service
Ahmedabad, August 11, 2005
In a bizarre case, Gujarat Police have arrested
a couple who allowed a wandering "monk" to allegedly rape and make pregnant their two daughters, one of them a minor.
Police at Katargam in Surat, 250 km from Ahmedabad, also arrested the monk, Himmat Rajput, after registering a case of
rape against him apart from another case against the parents for abetting the crime.
Pastor in court on charges of raping girls
POLOKWANE – A 35-year-old pastor was arrested at Moletjie village
on Tuesday after allegedly raping two young girls, Limpopo police said on Wednesday.
Superintendent Patty Khumalo said
the pastor allegedly asked the girls’ mother to send them to him for spiritual healing.
Lawyer: Immunity request won’t stop pope suit
U.S. case alleges that Benedict conspired to cover up abuse in
Texas
Updated: 3:21 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2005
A U.S. lawyer said Wednesday he will press ahead with a lawsuit alleging Pope
Benedict XIV conspired to cover up the abuse of three boys by a seminary student in Texas, despite the pontiff's request for
diplomatic immunity.
"This diplomatic move has stopped the suit right in its early stages," Daniel Shea, who represents one of three plaintiffs
in the unprecedented civil suit, told Reuters.
No jail for Jehovah's Witness found guilty of abusing daughter
By COLIN PERKEL
Canadian Press
Tuesday, August
30, 2005, Page A5
A Jehovah's Witness who sexually abused his daughter was sentenced yesterday to two years less a day
to be served in the community in a case that cast a spotlight on how the sect handles sex-abuse complaints within its ranks
Congregants should have been told of volunteer's conviction, victims say
By SHEILA B. LALWANI
slalwani@journalsentinel.comPosted: Aug. 26, 2005
A year after a convicted child molester was sentenced to prison again for molesting two girls
that he met through a church, the victims have filed a lawsuit, claiming the crime could have been prevented by the church,
its pastor and members of its board of directors.In a case that could turn the legal focus on the responsibilities churches
have to protect members, Apostolic Faith Church in Caledonia is accused of failing to warn congregants that former Sunday
school teacher assistant Timothy P. Gregory was a convicted child molester
Bishop backs panty parties to spread Church message
Daily Telegraph, UK
Sep. 29, 2005
Evangelism and erotic
underwear are rarely linked outside the tabloid newspapers. But a new book backed by a Church of England bishop urges Christians
to spread the message to their friends and neighbours by hosting lingerie parties.
$25 million lawsuit alleges Fort Lauderdale priest raped boy, 9
Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Roman
Catholic priest previously accused of drugging and raping boys throughout his three decades of work in the Archdiocese of
Miami faces new allegations of sexual abuse.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Broward Circuit Court alleges that the Rev. Neil
Doherty sexually abused a boy starting when the child was 9 during the 1990s at Margate's St. Vincent's Church.
aug 9 2006
50y/o pietermaritzburg pastor sexually assulted 9y/o girl in congregation. pastor sakhayedwa
hlatswayo was married.
8/8/06
former anglican priest gets sentence of 4y/rs (2 w/o chance of parole out of possible 21 y/rs). Ray
Ayles started in '75-june 2004 when arrested, raped 14y/o boy. is a father of 3. of austrlilia.
8/1/06
dennis r sewar, catholic priest from rochester diocese pleaded guilty to a non sexual charge which allows
him not to registar as sex offender and sentenced to one year probation. charges included 50 occurences of fondling of boy
between 1999-2001.
8/1/06
charles sylvestre of belle river ontario faces 61 counts by 47 victims of sex abuse that took plce over 31
years and involved women between the ages of 9-14 y/o. pastor of church of annuciation.
8/1/06
rev roberto edger lopez of horeb untied methodist church sexually assulted 15y/o girl. lopez founded the
church and is married. he was moved to another parish as once a year ministers do.
8/1/06
rev joseph henn was odered back to the states for abusing 3 boys in the '80s hding at the society of the divine
savior relig. order in italy along w/ 9 other priest that were in rome that were found guilty of sex abuse in the states.
dallas mourning news investigated.
8/1/06
rev james gildea teacher and guidance couselor at notre dame high in fairfield from '76-'79.
8/1/06
rev harry monroe of indianapolis diocese had 12 lawsuits against him claiming between 1974-1984 he abused boys
some of whom commited suicide.suits also claim that church leaders knew and kept it a secret and moved himto different parishes.one
child was caught w/ monroe by another priest, rev dooley but no inquiries were ever made.
7/31/06
6 priest from tennesee were implicated:
ron dickman, former principal of father ryan school.
paul fredrick
haas, teacher at father ryan school.100 allegations
roger lott, benedictine monk, blamed his alcoholism, does not recall
abuse.
edward mckeown, removed in '89. was served a 25yr prison sentence after he left priesthood and molested a 12y/o.
franklin
t richard, abused 25 boys, not serving time due to statue of limitiations running out, lives in palm beach.
james pratt,
chaplain at vanderbilt university
7/31/06
hartford pastor modesto reyes accused of fathering a child w/ a 11 y/o girl which he abused at 4 different
times.. dna tests prove hes the father.
7/31/06
4 monks pleading not guilty plus one that is already serving a 10yr prison sentence from the christ of
hills monastery in texas.
sam greene, founder of monastery.
john hitt, convicted in 1999 of indeceny w 14y/o monk.
'Monk' busted for molesting 2 women on pretext of exorcism
NARA -- A self-proclaimed monk who runs a hall for
spiritual understanding has been arrested for molesting two women on the pretext of exorcism, police said.
Ryusho Mine,
60, from Utano, Nara Prefecture, has admitted to the allegations against him.
He opened a spiritual understanding hall
at his home after quitting his job at the post office in June 2001.
Coalition leader faces sex abuse allegations
Investigation
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Law enforcement officials
said Saturday they are investigating complaints that Louis Beres, longtime chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon,
molested three female family members when they were pre-teens.
SCIENTOLOGY SEX ASSAULT NIGHTMARE
By PHILIP RECCHIA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 2,
2005 -- A FORMER Scientology staffer is breaking her silence about being sexually assaulted 100 times at ages 16 and 17 by
the church supervisor she was "ordered" to live with, and then receiving threats and intimidating phone calls when she reported
the abuse.
Five years ago, Gabriel Williams, then a 27-year-old chief supervisor at the Church of Scientology in Mountain
View, Calif., forced then-16-year-old Jennifer Stewart to have intercourse with him on the first evening she moved in, according
to her statements in court records.
7/30/06
3 members of st johns monastic community are facing allegations of sex assult:along w/13 other priets
that have faced similar allegations at the abbey and 26 in the st cloud diocese between 1950-2003.
rev michael bik
bruce
wollmering
robert blumeyer
7/29/06
joseph briceno abused 2 minors a boy and his sister while at st marys- fled- 8 felony counts
patrick colleary-
fled-extradition from irland has failed, was charged w/ 2 felony counts in scottsdale.
7/29/06
at least 25 priests in scranton diocese have been accused of sex abuse since 1950. 11 have been removed from ministry
for improper contact the rest are forbidden to say mass or dress as a priest but still remain priests. some include:
robert caparelli, 2 lawsuits both settled for about 225,000
albert m liberatore jr, victim claims that bishop timlin
was aware of the abuse. sentenced to 10yrs probation.
edward shoback- admitted to misconduct
francis brennan-
molested 2 boys, case was dismissed
lawrence p weniger- fondled a boy at sacred heart church
thomas skotek- admitted
improper conduct, 2 seperate incidents
robert brague- impregnated teen at ss peter and paul church,case was settled in
'95
eric ensey- founder of society of st john, fondling minor, not criminally charged
carlos urrutigoity-founder of
society of st john, see eric above, both cases were settled for 454,550 in 2005. scanton bishop moved to paraguay.
j. peer
crynes- 2 women alleged assult.
NJ Police Arrest Mom For Running One-Woman Brothel
(AP) PRINCETON TOWNSHIP, N.J. Princeton Township police say a 50-year-old
single mother of three was operating a one-woman brothel out of her home.
But Meryl James says she’s an ordained
minister and massage therapist who practices holistic methods. On a website she manages she offers Swedish massages and spiritual
therapy.
Army Chaplain Sentenced For Sodomizing Troops
UPDATED: 4:43 am MST November 2, 2005
BAMBERG, Germany -- A U.S.
Army chaplain has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of forcible sodomy against
enlisted men.
Capt. Gregory Arflack, a 44-year-old Roman Catholic priest, apologized at his court-martial in Germany. He
sobbed and said, "I've had a lot of time to pray and consider what I've done as a priest and an officer and I'm ashamed."
Internet evangelist faces 3 trials in sex cases
Erin Ailworth | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 29, 2005
DeLAND -- An Internet evangelist accused of sexually abusing and molesting three children will be tried separately for
each case, officials said.
Charles Michael Balfe, 60, of DeLand sat quietly in the courtroom Friday as Circuit Judge S.
James Foxman heard graphic testimony from Balfe's three accusers and two women detailing the sex acts they say they performed
and the beatings and punishments they say they endured.
The Smoking Gun
"Meet Amanda White. The 27-year-old Texas woman, a Baptist church volunteer, has been charged
with posing as a teenage girl and engaging in phone sex with a 15-year-old boy she anonymously courted with steamy love letters."
Principal and minister arraigned on molestation charges
By: North County Times wire services
EL CAJON -- An
elementary school principal and minister accused of repeatedly molesting a young male relative pleaded innocent Tuesday to
nine counts of committing a lewd act on a child under 14.
Dennis M. McKeown, 41, was taken into custody Friday morning
as he was leaving his home on Baltimore Drive in La Mesa to go to work, according to La Mesa police Lt. Allen White.
Priest defrocked for fucking girl, 13
Evening Chronicle
"A shamed vicar has been stripped of his title after
he was jailed for having sex with a 13-year-old girl... Former teacher Kevin Conway abused the girl after she complained to
him of being bullied at school when she was 12. Conway, Anglican priest at St Wilfrid's Church in Moorside, Sunderland, started
hugging and kissing his victim, but progressed to regular sexual intercourse in his car at Seaham, County Durham, after the
youngster turned 13... Conway, 39, was arrested in February last year after police became suspicious of his contact with the
girl."
Ex-priest charged with molestation
New Jersey Online |
"A Catholic priest the Newark archdiocese says vanished
from its radar more than 10 years ago has been charged with molesting teenage boys at a Morris County drug rehabilitation
center... According to the arrest affidavit, [Richard J. Mieliwocki] fondled two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old resident
and stripped-searched another 17-year-old boy. The youths whom Mieliwocki is accused of molesting were all on probation, and
Mieliwocki had disciplinary power over them, according to the criminal complaint. He had two of the boys remove their underwear,
and spanked one of them, according to the sworn statement of detective Dan Haber of the prosecutor's office. Mieliwocki asked
all four victims about the size of their private parts, and how often they masturbated, the arrest affidavit said."
Parishioners stand behind Mesa priest on charge
Clergyman accused of observing abuse
The Arizona Republic
Dec.
31, 2004 12:00 AM
A Mesa church in crisis rallied behind a suspended priest Thursday, packing a forum to learn more about
the allegations against Monsignor Dale Fushek.
Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations
secret
Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent
Sunday April 24, 2005
The Observer
Pope Benedict XVI faced
claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into
child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret.
The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer,
which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001.
It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to
10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John
Paul II's successor last week.
Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being
investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'.
The letter, 'concerning very grave sins', was sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office
that once presided over the Inquisition and was overseen by Ratzinger.
Self-styled swami arrested
Coimbatore, April 18: A self-styled swami has been arrested for performing 'nude
pooja' of a woman on the pretext of removing evil spirits at Kunnathur in nearby Erode district.
According to police,
a 25-year-old married woman was taken to the swami, who was claiming that he could remove any evil force, last night.
Texas Priest Accused of Groping Teen
2005 The Associated Press
MARBLE FALLS, Texas — A Roman
Catholic priest accused of groping a 16-year-old boy at a movie theater during a showing of "King Kong" has been charged with
indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Father Paul M. Clogan, 74, was arrested Friday as he left the theater,
Spokane Spokesman-Review |
"A felony arrest warrant has been issued for the former youth pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran
Church following an investigation into sexual improprieties with two teenage girls who were part of that church’s youth
group." [Anonymous sums it up like so: One week after getting rid of a mayor who liked Boy Scouts, we now have a Luthern youth
pastor who like young girls in handcuffs.]
Boy Accused of Church Rape
WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit |
"At St. Calvary Lutheran Church in Warren, during the annual
Christmas play, a 14-year-old boy lured a 12-year-old girl into the boy’s bathroom. The boy allegedly fondled the girl
and then raped her. The girl screamed and tried to get away but was unable to escape."
Tulsa Pastor Arrested In OKC On Lewdness Charge
POSTED: 4:03 pm CST January 4, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY -- An executive
committee member of the Southern Baptist Convention was arrested on a lewdness charge for propositioning a plainclothes policeman
outside a hotel, police said.
Lonnie Latham, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church, was booked into Oklahoma County
Jail Tuesday night on a misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said.
Latham was released on $500 bail Wednesday afternoon.
Latham, who has spoken out against homosexuality, asked the officer
to join him in his hotel room for oral sex. Latham was arrested and his 2005 Mercedes automobile was impounded, Becker said.
Gay
Marriage Critic Tried on Lewdness
Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The lawyer for a former Baptist
church leader who had spoken out against homosexuality said Thursday the minister has a constitutional right to solicit sex
from an undercover policeman.
The Rev. Lonnie W. Latham had supported a resolution calling on gays and lesbians to reject
their "sinful, destructive lifestyle" before his Jan. 3, 2006, arrest outside the Habana Inn in Oklahoma City.
Mar 7, 9:11
PM EST
Ex-Pastor Acquitted of Sex Charge
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A former Baptist minister who had spoken out against
homosexuality was acquitted Wednesday of propositioning an undercover male police officer.
A judge found Lonnie Latham
not guilty of the misdemeanor charge of offering to engage in an act of lewdness. If convicted, he would have faced up to
a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Ottawa church sues pastor who committed sex crime
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Page A2
In what lawyers
are calling an unusual legal tactic, an Ottawa church is suing its former youth pastor, a convicted sex offender.
The Calvin
Christian Reformed Church, along with its insurance company, is seeking $150,000 from Herbert de Ruyter, who recently pleaded
guilty to sexually exploiting a member of the congregation when she was a teenager.
Former Mormon youth counselor sentenced to six months in prison
SACRAMENTO A former Mormon youth counselor pleaded
guilty today to a misdemeanor count of child annoyance and was sentenced to six months in jail.
Michael Scott Woodbury
originally faced 30 felony counts of lewd acts with a minor. But attorneys say questions about the seriousness of the offenses
and the legality of a taped phone call that prompted the investigation led to the plea deal.
The victim's mother thought
the sentence was too lenient.
Woodbury met the boy when he was 12 and was arrested when the boy was 15 or 16.
Brentwood man arrested, accused of raping, sexually abusing 2 sons
Incidents allegedly took place in 5-year period
BRENTWOOD
— A Brentwood man was arrested yesterday on charges of raping and sexually abusing two of his children over the course
of five years.
The suspect is involved in the Christian book-publishing industry, according to police and numerous Web
sites.
Rodrigue, 69, served eight and a half years of a 10-year sentence for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old developmentally
disabled Highland boy. He will be required to wear a Global Positioning Satellite anklet allowing state parole officials to
track his movements 24 hours a day, according to his brother, Tom.
In 1997, he told a county sheriff's investigator that
"as a Catholic priest he molested about five or six boys per year for over 20 years," according to a police report.
Deland Man Gets 30 Years For Sexual Battery on Teen, Used Bible to Convince Teen
DELAND, FL (AP) -- A Deland
man convicted of sexual battery on a teenager will spend 30 years behind bars. Authorities say 61-year-old Charles Balfe used
the bible to make the 15-year-old victim believe his actions were OK.The self-proclaimed evangelist also was sentenced yesterday
to 30 years probation.
Ex-choir member charged with lewdness with minor
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/07/2006 01:03:29
AM MDT
PROVO - An ex-Mormon Tabernacle Choir member was charged Friday with four felonies and three misdemeanors for allegedly
taking pictures of four nude boys during a July camping trip.
Robert Matthews, 51, is accused of taking
video and still pictures with four boys, ages 7, 10, 15 and 18, while camping at the Diamond Fork Hot Springs, court documents
state.
Three of Swaminarayan sect sentenced for sexual harassment
Press Trust of India
Rajkot, October 13, 2006
Three
sadhus of Swaminarayan sect were sentenced to imprisonment for sexually harassing a boy, studying in Gurukul in Khambha town
of Amreli district.
Judge H H Kanara of Dhari court on Thursday, sentenced Radha Raman Swami and Vishnuswami to 18 months'
imprisonment with a fine of Rs 1000 each and awarded 14 months' imprisonment to Mahaprasadswami with a fine of Rs 500, sources
said.
Gozo Diocese probing alleged sexual abuse
By MaltaMedia News
Oct 20, 2006, 10:43 CET
The Diocese
of Gozo is investigating allegations that Fr. Anthony Mercieca, a Gozitan resident, had an “inappropriate” relationship
with former United States Republican Congressman Mark Foley in Florida around 40 years ago.
The bishop of Gozo, Mgr. Mario
Grech, has instructed a response team to investigate the allegations according to the policies established by the Maltese
Ecclesiastical Province with regard to cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity, and present him with a report.
Priest on trial for sex abuse takes plea deal
PHOENIX -- A former Catholic priest being tried on charges that
he sexually abused a teen more than 20 years ago reached a plea deal with prosecutors Tuesday.
Joseph Briceno pleaded guilty
to two felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and faces up to 1.8 years in prison on the first count and three years
probation on the second count. He also will have to register as a sex offender.
Dunne defends undie runs
17 November 2006
By DAN EATON
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne is defending the right of Christchurch schoolgirls to run around in their undies, saying
that stopping them is "political correctness gone mad".
Up to 12 St Margaret's College students are facing disciplinary
action after they attempted an undie run through Christ's College.
The Press understands the girls were stopped by Christ's
College staff on Monday when they pulled up outside to run through the school in their underwear.
Ex-lay preacher accused of '10 years of abuse'
15 November 2006
A Londonderry court heard claims yesterday
that a former lay preacher subjected two sisters to a litany of sexual abuses starting when they were six years old.
James
Doherty (72), from Milltown View in the Waterside, denies 25 charges ranging from gross indecency to anal rape against two
sisters who attended the same church as him.
Nab rev. with 1,300 kid porn pix
DAILY NEWS
A popular Long Island priest was arrested yesterday on child
pornography charges after investigators raided a church rectory and found his computer packed with dirty pictures.
Authorities
said the Rev. Thomas Saloy tried to kill himself earlier this week after the FBI discovered 1,300 still photographs and video
clips of children engaged in sexually explicit activities.
Dec 12, 11:07 PM EST
Defrocked LA Priest to Face New Charges
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES
(AP) -- Investigators have identified a second man molested as a child by a now-defrocked Catholic priest, and additional
charges will be filed this week, a prosecutor said in court Tuesday.
Michael Stephen Baker, 58, has pleaded not guilty
to sexually abusing a boy while the priest was living at a rectory. Prosecutors contend he molested the boy for more than
a decade until 1995, beginning when he was 7
Dec 13, 10:31 AM EST
Ex-Church Camp Leader Faces Porn Charges
COLUMBIA, Ill. (AP) -- A former church
camp leader was arrested on child pornography charges and accused of trying to coax girls, at least one of them a former camper,
to pose partly naked or perform a sex act.
Aaron Niles, 20, began chatting with the girls online using the screen names
"loverboyniles" and "godrocks30" after working at a Baptist summer camp in 2005, Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards said Wednesday.
Ex-elder can't control sex urges
KITCHENER (Dec 14, 2006)
A former elder with the local Jehovah's Witnesses,
who is charged with molesting two girls, admitted to police more than three years ago that he has sexual urges he can't control.
The
admission came in August 2003, when police were questioning Claude Martin about an alleged incident involving a 12-year-old
girl who delivered a newspaper to his home.
Elder gets two years probation for molesting 12-year-old girl Jehovah's Witnesses
Dec 15, 12:39 AM EST
Texas Priest Removed After Abuse Claim
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A Roman Catholic
bishop on Thursday removed from active ministry a Wichita Falls priest accused of sexually abusing a minor before he was a
clergyman.
Fort Worth Bishop Kevin Vann said he removed Gilbert Pansza the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, after
discovering Pansza's admission of the molestation in the 1970s in diocese files. Pansza, 55, became a priest in 2000.
Ted Haggard's Minion Ousted for Sexual Misconduct
Looks like Pastor Ted Haggard, the fallen, meth-snorting, gay hooker-hiring
moralist, and founder of New Life Church has a pastor falling in his footsteps...
Details are still somewhat fuzzy but
Pastor Ted's New Life Church announced the resignation of another executive staff member, Christopher Beard, for sexual misconduct.
Deacon Accused Of Inappropriately Touching Child
POSTED: 9:21 am EST December 17, 2006
CLEVELAND -- A deacon
at the Cleveland Church of Christ was indicted Friday, accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old on multiple occasions.
Michael
Davis, 48, of Bedford, faces 15 counts of gross sexual imposition.
Huge Southern Baptist Church rocked by sexual abuse charges
A church whose former pastor was president of the
Southern Baptist Convention has been rocked by allegations of child abuse, PageOneQ has learned.
Pastor Paul Williams,
who directs prayer programs and special projects at the Bellevue Baptist Church outside of Memphis, has been forced to take
a leave while a church committee investigates charges that Williams sexually molested a family member 17 years ago. Williams
has been at Bellevue for 34 years
Sexual abuse lawsuit filed
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Wednesday, Dec 20, 2006 - 06:25:54 am PST
An
Orange County attorney who has previously sued former Lodi Priest Oliver O'Grady and the Stockton Diocese on sexual battery
has filed another lawsuit, this one by a woman who was once enrolled in Catholic schools in Lodi and Stockton
.Posted Online: 2006-12-22
Grand jury indicts Joliet priest in sex abuse case
A 76-year-old Catholic Priest
from Joliet was indicted by a Will County Grand Jury Thursday for the alleged sexual abuse of two teen brothers in 1996 and
1999.
Fr. Louis Rogge, a priest of the Carmelite Order, turned himself in to police Thursday.
Sexual abuse allegations lead to suspension of prominent Southern Baptist pastor
Sexual abuse allegations have
led to the suspension of a longtime minister at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where the late Adrian Rogers
was pastor.
Pastor charged with sexual battery not looking for plea agreement
Dennis Bowling accused of committing sex acts on
minors in his congregation.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
DAYTON — Even though he now faces 76 total counts, with
accusers coming forward from his congregation, Riverside pastor Dennis Bowling is not looking for a plea agreement, his attorney
said Wednesday.
Priest removed after admitting sexual abuse
January 9, 2007 - 10:53PM
CALEDONIA (NEWSCHANNEL 3) –
The Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids has removed another priest from active ministry for sexually abusing young boys.
Father
David LeBlanc admitted to the incident in the early 1990's but until now has served at a church in Caledonia.
Ex-Church Official Guilty in Porn Case
Associated Press Writer
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- The former music
director of a church where former President Bush once worshipped pleaded guilty on Monday to possessing child pornography.
Robert
F. Tate, 64, of Greenwich, admitted possessing between 150 and 300 pornographic images of children
Mormon church, Boy Scouts accused in sex-abuse lawsuit
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 01/23/2007
02:48:12 PM MST
PORTLAND, Ore. - Two brothers who claim they were sexually abused as children by a ''home teacher'' filed
a $6.5 million lawsuit Monday against the Mormon church and Boy Scouts of America.
The lawsuit, filed in
Multnomah County Circuit Court, alleges the Boy Scouts and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were responsible
because Timur Dykes was their authorized representative in the mid-1980s.
Dykes was convicted of child sexual
abuse, according to the lawsuit filed by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who has represented victims of alleged abuse by Roman
Catholic priests.
Dykes, also known as Timur Van Dykes, is listed on the Multnomah County Department of Community
Justice Web site as a ''predatory sex offender'' who gains access to vulnerable boys and families through positions of trust.
Posted on Wed, Dec. 13, 2006
Pastor joins pre-trial program
Leader charged with prostitution, lewdness at park
The
Sun News
Reginald Wayne Miller, president of Cathedral Bible College and senior pastor at Grand Strand Cathedral church
in Myrtle Beach, is completing a pre-trial intervention program after being charged this summer with lewdness and prostitution
by Horry County police.
Cano sentenced for offering boys sex
Goshen – A hamlet of Wallkill man who was convicted in a non-jury trial
last fall for trying to lure boys to engage in sexual activity was sentenced in Orange County Court Monday to two to six years
in state prison.
Jesus Cano, 50, who was a clergyman with the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Missionary sued in alleged sex abuse
MORMON CHURCH ALSO NAMED IN CIVIL ACTION
A Lee County woman is suing The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of its missionaries over the alleged sexual abuse of her son.
Jason
Stark of Idaho was on a two-year missionary trip to Kentucky and Indiana when he allegedly sexually abused three young men
in 2005. Stark was charged in Lee County with two counts of sodomy and one count of attempted sodomy last February.
Ex-Sisters pastor convicted on abuse charges
Posted: 9:31 PM, Feb. 2, 2007
After one full day of deliberation,
a Deschutes County jury found a former Sisters pastor guilty on all six charges Friday in the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old
girl whose family worshiped at the church.
Deschutes County Circuit Judge Michael Sullivan set a Feb. 20 sentencing date
for Jeremy Shane Hall in the September 2005 fondling of the teen.
Sexual Abuse Allegation
Priest placed on leave
A Council Bluffs priest has been placed on leave and law
enforcement officials have been notified about an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. The claim is being made by a former
student of St. Albert schools against Father Phillip Hobt.
Feb 7, 2007 10:00 am US/Central
Group Invites Sex Offender To Lead Church Retreat
(AP) Collegeville, Minn. A victims' rights group is criticizing
an Episcopal retreat center here for inviting a registered sex offender to lead a retreat this weekend.
Lynn Bauman, 64, admitted to molesting an 8-year-old boy on a camping trip in 1996 and was sentenced to 10 years' probation,
according to the Texas Department of Corrections. He said Tuesday night that he admitted to wrongdoing and has not reoffended,
and that it is "not germane" to his work now.
The retreat set for Thursday through Sunday, sponsored by the Episcopal House of Prayer, is for adults. Bauman was scheduled
to lead the $310-per-person "Wisdom School Introduction" retreat, which focuses on fact and fiction about Mary Magdalene and
related topics.
Former Phillips priest named in federal lawsuit
Chicago man claims Fitzmaurice, three others, raped him as a child;
Attorney claims there are Wisconsin victims
THE-BEE
Wednesday, February 07th, 2007 09:10:02 AM
A Chicago man filed
a civil lawsuit Jan. 29 alleging that Fr. Terrance Fitzmaurice, who had served at Our Lady of the North Catholic Church in
Phillips (St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s), raped him 30 years ago.
A priest has been charged with sexual abuse
Thu, 08 Feb 2007, 22:01
The Archbishopric of Granada has
temporarily removed public duties from a semi-retired priest in La Zubia who is accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy.
Serbian priest sentenced to jail for sexual abuse of boys
The Associated PressPublished: February 9, 2007
BELGRADE,
Serbia: A Serbian Orthodox Church priest has been jailed for a year after being convicted of sexually abusing boys in 2001,
a court announced Friday.
Feb 15, 2007 2:23 pm US/Mountain
Man Pleads Guilty In Naked Snowmobiling Case
LOGAN A 62-year-old man accused of
taking teenage boys on nude snowmobile rides has pleaded guilty to lewdness, a misdemeanor. Lamb was a bishop of a Mormon
church ward in Hyde Park from 1991 to 1997.
Sect man jailed for sex abuse of girl
February 17, 2007
THE sentencing of Lindsay Ronald Jensen yesterday
for abusing a young girl in Albury brings almost to an end a saga of squalor and betrayal that has embroiled the religious
sect the Exclusive Brethren and its leadership for four years.
Jensen, 49, an imposing man nearly two metres tall, was
sentenced to five years' jail on four counts of indecent assault and one of sexual intercourse without consent. Judge Gay
Murrell found the offences occurred when Jensen was in a position of trust and responsible for the girl's welfare. She set
a non-parole period of three years.
The girl was nine when the assaults took place in 2002. Her parents were estranged
Ash Wednesday Mass Interrupted by Porno Recordings
Thursday, February 22, 2007
SANTA FE — The Roman
Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was evacuated during noon Mass on Ash Wednesday when three CD players
duct-taped to the bottom of pews began blaring sexually explicit language.
The players were set to turn on at 12:22 p.m.
as parishioners were in the middle of Mass, police Capt. Gary Johnson said.
The recordings were filled with people using
foul language and "pornographic messages," Johnson said. He would not elaborate because of the ongoing investigation.
Church
staff personnel removed the CD players, took them to the basement and called police, who sent a bomb squad, Johnson said.
The
bomb squad blew up two of the players on a grassy area near the church, then kept the third one for analysis after determining
the players were not dangerous.
The recordings were made on store-bought blank discs, Johnson said.
"We'll run the full
gamut" of tests on the player, including checking for fingerprints or DNA and tracing its components, he said.
February 28, 2007 Former Columbia pastor pleads guilty to abuse of 15-year-old congregant
A former Columbia
pastor was sentenced to 14 years in prison Monday in connection with the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl.
Roberto Edgar
Lopez, 37, pleaded guilty to second-degree statutory sodomy and second-degree statutory rape, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Nicole Gorovsky said. Judge Gene Hamilton sentenced Lopez to two consecutive seven-year sentences.
Former Texas Priest Convicted of Abuse
EASTLAND, Texas (AP) -- A former priest was sentenced Wednesday to 25
years in prison after being convicted of molesting an 11-year-old boy in the early 1990s.
The Rev. Thomas Teczar, 65, of
Dudley, Mass., was a priest in the Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese until his departure in 1993.
S.C. Judge Orders Church Sex Abuse Probe
San Diego Diocese Files Chapter 11
ST. GEORGE, S.C. (AP) -- A judge
ordered an investigation Friday into whether there are unreported cases of sexual abuse involving the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Charleston.
Circuit Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein said she would not approve a plan to set aside up to $12 million to
settle abuse claims without the review.
Goodstein made her decision after an attorney for abuse victims claimed the church
may have kept some cases secret.
Msindo expelled by church he founded
Last updated: 03/22/2007 09:28:15
ONE of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's
most vocal ecclesiastical supporters has been disowned by the church he founded following his arrest of rape charges.
Reverend
Obadiah Msindo is no longer a member of the Destiny of Africa Network, the church’s directors said in a notice.
Church offers aid to accused molester
Police say former elder admitted assaulting 3-year-old; girl's family has
left the Carmel congregation
CARMEL, Ind. -- A Carmel church wants its members to show love and forgiveness to a former
elder accused of molesting a 3-year-old girl, causing the child's family and others to leave the congregation.
The
girl's father said the family no longer feels welcome because of the support shown for the accused man.
"It's a disgrace
that the church would embrace a criminal and turn its back on the victim, especially one that's a young child," the father
said.
Naked driver accused of evading police
08:27 AM CDT on Friday, March 30, 2007
The Dallas Morning News
A
naked Dallas man driving a church van was in custody Thursday accused of evading police and sheriff's deputies after a 35-mile
chase that spanned two counties. The van belonged to Cliff Temple Baptist Church in Dallas, the sheriff’s office said.
Pastor Joel Pulis, of the Well Community church which has a partnership with Cliff Temple in Oak Cliff, confirmed that
Mr. Leonard had worked part time for his organization for the past six months
Priest-abuse allegation called 'not credible'
Joliet diocese panel fails to resolve other claims against rector
Published
March 30, 2007
The Catholic Diocese of Joliet announced Thursday that its Review Committee found "not credible" one set
of sexual abuse allegations against Rev. James Burnett, the former rector of its cathedral.
But in a second case, the details
of which are not yet public, the committee "has not been able to resolve the credibility of that accusation," according to
a diocesan statement.
Minister faces sex charges
Posted: March 28, 2007
A former Methodist pastor Angel R. Toro, 56, who joined
the United Church of Christ and rose to national leadership positions after leaving Wisconsin has been charged with sexually
assaulting a 17-year-old boy in 1987 while pastor of a church in Rice Lake.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Hot Blonde Teacher at Salpointe High School Arrested Over Sex Charges - Rebecca Kelley
Another
day, another young, attractive female teacher arrested for having sex with an underage boy. This time, the fun comes to us
from a Catholic high school in Tucson, Arizona.
Woman's lawsuit brought out 8 others' stories, her lawyers say
12:02 PM CDT on Saturday, May 12, 2007
The Dallas
Morning News
A Fort Worth pastor accused of paddling and raping women under the guise of scriptural teaching has been
suspended by the national body of the Church of God in Christ.
The suspension comes more than three months after a Fort
Worth woman sued the Rev. Sherman C. Gee Allen of the Shiloh Institutional Church of God in Christ, contending that he repeatedly
beat her with a paddle from 2001 to 2005 and forced her to have sex with him.
DSS delay under investigation: Records: Agency waited to act on abuse claim vs. rev
Boston Herald Police Bureau
Chief
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - Updated: 12:57 AM EST
The embattled Department of Social Services received several reports
that a Roxbury minister molested a teenage boy in 2005 - including a phone call from the accused predator himself - but failed
to follow up for 18 months until the boy became suicidal and was hospitalized, according to documents reviewed by the Herald.
The apparent foul-up, which led to a lengthy delay in investigating the abuse claims against the minister, prompted
Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday to order an investigation into how the agency, headed by Commissioner Harry Spence, handles clergy
abuse reports.
Three teachers, minister arrested after park sex sting
05:06 PM PDT on Thursday, May 17, 2007
kgw.com Staff
SALEM – Three teachers and a minister Reverand Steven Adams were arrested last weekend for allegedly having sex
in a public park, authorities said.
Sex Offender In Court Over Church Assault On Boy
POSTED: 12:01 pm EDT May 17, 2007
UPDATED: 6:17 pm EDT May 17,
2007
GREENSBURG, Pa. -- A sex offender accused of assaulting a 5-year-old boy inside the bathroom of a Greensburg church
in February was in court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
According to police, the boy was alone inside a restroom
of the First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg when Thomas Umbaugh, 49, allegedly assaulted him.
May 24, 5:06 PM EDT
Court Overturns Sex Conviction of Priest
Associated Press Writer
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)
-- The Kentucky Supreme Court overturned the sex abuse conviction against a former priest Thursday because his earlier sex
crimes were wrongly used as evidence.
The court ordered a new trial for Daniel C. Clark, who is serving a 10-year sentence
after being convicted in 2003 of abusing two brothers over four years, beginning when they were 8 and 9.
May 25, 7:46 PM EDT
Rabbi Convicted of Abuse Nabbed in India
CHENNAI, India (AP) -- An American rabbi convicted
of sexually abusing children has been arrested in southern India after an 11-month manhunt across Asia, police said Wednesday.
Child sex beast deported to US
June 04, 2007
A DEPRAVED ex-US marine who had sex with a 12-year-old British
girl after 'grooming' her on the web has been deported.
Former bible scholar Toby Studabaker, 35, was sentenced to four-and-a-half
years imprisonment in April 2004 after he pleaded guilty to child abduction and inciting a child to commit gross indecency.
Jun 9, 11:16 AM EDT
Civil Rights Leader Charged With Incest
LEESBURG, Va. (AP) -- A civil rights leader who
worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has been charged with incest.
The Rev. James L. Bevel, 70, was arrested
late last month in Alabama, where he has been living, after being indicted on one count of unlawfully committing fornication.
Protestants: 260-Plus Abuse Cases a Year
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The three companies
that insure the majority of Protestant churches in America say they typically receive upward of 260 reports each year of young
people under 18 being sexually abused by clergy, church staff, volunteers or congregation members.
The figures released
to The Associated Press offer a glimpse into what has long been an extremely difficult phenomenon to pin down - the frequency
of sex abuse in Protestant congregations.
Nun Accused Of Sexual Assault May Reach Deal Before Trial
POSTED: 11:08 am CDT June 15, 2007
MILWAUKEE -- A nun
accused of sexually assaulting two boys at a Milwaukee school in the 1960s is scheduled to go to trial in August, but one
of her attorneys said Friday they may be getting close to a plea deal.
Jun 26, 4:22 PM EDT
Accused Pa. Priest Commits Suicide
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A priest committed suicide two days
after his bishop said claims of sex abuse by the priest dating back more than 30 years would be turned over to police.
The
Rev. William A. Rosensteel, 64, jumped from a bridge Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Posted on Wed, Jun. 27, 2007
Diocese reports new abuse claims
A former St. Stephen's Episcopal School chaplain
accused of molesting students in the 1960s may have also sexually assaulted minors at a church and school he later served
in Houston, according to a letter sent last week from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Priest Pleads Guilty in Abuse Cases
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest
accused of fondling young boys pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was sentenced
to five years in prison.
The Rev. Daniel McCormack was accused of abusing five boys ages 8 to 12 in the rectory of St.
Agatha Catholic Church, where he served as parish priest. He could have been sentenced to seven years.
'Home teacher' molestation case
Court says LDS Church must release long-veiled financial information
The Associated
Press
Article Last Updated: 07/12/2007 11:53:56 AM MDT
Posted: 8:39 AM- PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Supreme Court rejected
an effort by the Mormon church to withhold financial information from the lawyers for a man who claims a "home teacher" frequently
molested him about 20 years ago.
Despite the legal defeat, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints did not immediately release the detailed financial information about its net worth, The Oregonian newspaper reported
Jailed polygamous leader
Jeffs faces new sex counts
Arizona charges tied to incestual teen marriages
The
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 07/13/2007 01:56:25 AM MDT
The indictments allege two girls
who were younger than 18 were married to men to whom they were closely enough related to constitute incest.
The indictments, issued by two separate Mohave County grand juries, charge Jeffs with four counts in each case: two counts
of sexual conduct with a minor as an accomplice, and two counts of incest as an accomplice.
Lawsuit Alleges Priest Sex Abuse in Del.
Associated Press Writer
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- A man who says
he was molested as a teen by a Catholic priest on Thursday became he first person to sue under a new law allowing child sexual
abuse victims to seek damages for misdeeds that occurred years ago.
Robert Quill, 52, a Wilmington native who lives in
Marathon, Fla., filed a federal lawsuit alleging that as a teenager, he was molested at least 300 times by the Rev. Francis
G. DeLuca, who worked for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington for 35 years.
Sandra "Beth" Geisel, 42: English teacher at Christian Brothers Academy, an all-boys school in Albany, N.Y., allegedly
had sex three times with a 16-year-old male student in May 2005, including once on school grounds in the football stadium's
press box. Originally indicted in September for three counts of third degree rape, she pleaded guilty to a single count of
rape and was sentenced to six months in jail, and ranked as a Level 1 sex offender, the lowest risk.
Cabarrus Commissioner Facing Prostitution Charges
Posted: Jul. 19 3:13 p.m.
Updated: Jul. 19 8:12 p.m.
SALISBURY,
N.C. — Former state legislator Coy C. Privette, a Cabarrus County commissioner and retired Baptist minister, was charged
Thursday with several misdemeanors related to prostitution, authorities said.
Privette, 74, of Kannapolis, was charged
with six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution by renting a hotel room and paying for sexual acts with 32-year-old Tiffany
Denise Summers, who was charged with six counts of prostitution, according to arrest warrants.
PRIEST'S THEFT FOR STRIPPER
25/07/2007
A CATHOLIC priest stole from his church's collection plate to
fund a luxury lifestyle - and lavish gifts on a male stripper.
Fr Mark Sorvillo gave cars, plane tickets and thousands
of dollars to married James Sosnicki, who stripped at gay clubs.
Brothers Molested by Church Janitor
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The maintenance trailer
outside St. Joachim's Elementary School in Costa Mesa looked harmless from the outside, but once the door slammed shut it
was hell on earth for Joe and Paul Livingston.
jul 31, 5:52 PM EDT
Minister Charged With Indecent Exposure
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) -- The minister of a Baptist
church has been charged with indecent exposure and driving under the influence, and police officers say he propositioned them.
Tommy
Tester, 58, of Bristol, Va., was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly urinating in front of children
at a car wash, police said.
Republican Activist Pleads Guilty To Sexual Battery
An attorney who formerly led a
Michigan young Republican organization has pleaded guilty in Cleveland to sexual battery.The case against 32-year-old Michael
Flory of Jackson, Michigan, involved forced sex acts on a woman while both were at a Cleveland convention last July. Flory
faces one to five years in prison or probation at his sentencing Sept. 13.
* Republican anti-abortion activist Howard
Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
* Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to
molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
* Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded
no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
* Republican anti-abortion activist
Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders
an abortion doctor. we’re just getting started, kids.
* Republica...
Aug 3, 4:22 PM EDT
Italian Priest Investigated for Abuse
ROME (AP) -- An 82-year-old priest is under investigation
after addicts accused him of sexually abusing them at a rehabilitation center, a spokesman confirmed Friday. The cleric says
the allegations are baseless.
The Rev. Pietro Gelmini insists there was no abuse and that he is being targeted by a group
of addicts who were kicked out of the center, according to his spokesman Alessandro Meluzzi.
Priest Jogging Naked Charged By Police
POSTED: 9:20 am MDT August 8, 2007
FREDERICK, Colo. -- A Catholic priest
faces an indecent exposure charge after police said he went jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise.
The Rev.
Robert Whipkey told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and didn't think anyone would be around at that
time of day, a police report said.
Castleconnell area was base for child sex cult, claims victim
THE shocking story of a religious cult which, it
is claimed, set up base in the Castleconnell area in the 1990s,
is detailed in a new book published by Harper Collins.
THE
Children of God Cult, in which orgies and sex between adults and children was considered the highest expression of love, had
one of its communes in county Limerick in the late 1990’s, it has been claimed in a new book.
Boy, 12, free as cops nab guru
August 07, 2007 12:00am
AN island cult guru and fugitive child rapist has been
arrested over the abduction of a boy, 12, who was found unharmed.
French police on the Indian Ocean territory of Reunion
Island moved in after surrounding the house where Alexandre Thelahire was being held by the cult.
Number of SC Church Accusers Nears 80
Associated Press Writer
ST. GEORGE, S.C. (AP) -- Nearly 80 people
are now eligible to join a class-action sex abuse settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, an attorney for
victims said Monday.
Updated: Thursday, 23 August 2007, 14:22 GMT 15:22 UK
Man spared jail for sex attacks
Porter
was put on the Sex Offenders Register
A Jehovah's Witness has been spared a jail term after admitting a series of sexual
assaults on children and adults in Clevedon.
Michael Porter, of Okehampton Close, north London, admitted 24 counts of
indecent assault and gross indecency on 13 victims aged 18 months and older.
U.S. Says Pope Immune From Molestation Lawsuit
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
ROME — The U.S. Justice
Department has told a Texas court that a lawsuit accusing Pope Benedict XVI (search) of conspiring to cover up the sexual
molestation of three boys by a seminarian should be dismissed because the pontiff enjoys immunity as head of state of the
Holy See.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Peter Keisler said in Monday's filing that allowing the lawsuit to proceed would
be "incompatible with the United States' foreign policy interests."
dept. of religious studies
Wacky Baptist Preacher Arrested For Dozens of Sex/Drug Crimes
Meet Wonkette’s
new favorite Baptist preacher and Christian Radio deejay, 58-year-old Tommy Tester of Bristol, Virginia. He was just hanging
out at a car wash, in Tennessee, drunk and high, wearing a skirt, “relieving himself in front of children,” with
an open bottle of vodka and an empty oxycodone prescription sitting in the car. Oh, and he was “offering police officers
oral sex.”
Sept. 7, 2007, 10:37AM
Minister arrested for child porn says he was doing research
Đ 2007 The Associated Press
WACO, Texas — A minister who was arrested on child pornography charges told authorities he was doing research to
get some Web sites shut down, police said.
Henry Edgington, 63, of Chalk Bluff, was charged with seven counts of child
pornography possession. He was released from the McLennan County Jail on $70,000 bond Thursday after he surrendered to police.
Sep 10, 6:03 PM EDT
Retired Priest Sentenced for Molestation
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- A retired Catholic
priest was sentenced to 60 days in jail Monday for repeatedly molesting a teenage boy years after he was dismissed from public
ministry over earlier allegations of sexual abuse in Delaware.
Francis DeLuca, 77, at first faced only probation, but City
Judge Kate Rosenthal backed out of that deal, saying DeLuca did not appear to understand the consequences of his conduct.
He began his sentence immediately.
Ex-teacher faces sex charges
Police: Mom found woman home alone with 15-year-old
The Detroit News
CANTON
TOWNSHIP -- A former teacher at Plymouth Christian Academy was arrested and arraigned Monday, accused of having sex with a
15-year-old student during the summer.
Stephanie Ann Stein, 31, a married mother of two from Canton Township, is accused
of sexually abusing the youth, whom she allegedly met at the Academy, a 630-student school on Joy Road run by Calvary Baptist
Church.
Sep 27, 2007
Sexual abuse: Pastor arrested
Sunday September 23 2007 09:58 IST
ENS
THRISSUR:
Peechi police on Saturday arrested pastor K J Sebastian, 45, following a complaint by a 40- year-old widow hailing from Nadathara,
alleging sexual harassment.
Church Elder Pleads Guilty In Sex Court Case
September 18, 2007
Willick Wendell was an elder in a Saskatoon
Jehovah's Witnesses congregation when he broke the trust of a fourteen year old girl.
Priest jailed for raping boys
September 17, 2007 11:57am
A CATHOLIC priest who raped and sexually abused four
boys over 10 years has been jailed for seven years.
Terrence Melville Pidoto, 62, was found guilty in July in the Victorian
County Court of 11 charges including rape, indecent assault and buggery.
Sex crime priest 'should have got life in jail'
September
17, 2007 11:57am
A PRIEST who raped and sexually abused four boys over 12 years has been jailed for more than seven years.
One of his victims criticised the sentence, saying the Catholic priest should have been locked up for life.
Terrence
Melville Pidoto, 62, was found guilty of 11 charges including rape, indecent assault and buggery by a Victorian County Court
jury in July this year.
Sep 27, 7:20 PM EDT
Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Church-Porn Case
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- A lawyer admitted
Thursday that he destroyed a computer containing child pornography that was evidence in an investigation at a prominent church.
Christian Clown In Perv Bust
Illinois man had porn cache from trip to Philippines orphanage
OCTOBER 10--An Illinois
man who worked as a "Christian clown" named Klutzo was arrested yesterday on child pornography charges for allegedly taking
naked photographs of young boys at a Philippines orphanage. According to a federal criminal complaint, Amon Paul Carlock took
the illicit photos during a "clowning" trip to the House of Joy orphanage earlier this year. Carlock also is an ordained minister,
originally with the Church of Nazarene and currently with the Missionary Church International.
Vatican official insists he's not gay By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Sun Oct 14, 1:06 PM ET
VATICAN
CITY - A Vatican official suspended after being caught on hidden camera making advances to a young man says he is not gay
and was only pretending to be gay as part of his work.
In an interview published Sunday, Monsignor Tommaso Stenico told
La Repubblica daily he frequented online gay chat rooms and met with gay men as part of his work as a psychoanalyst. He said
that he pretended to be gay in order to gather information about "those who damage the image of the Church with homosexual
activity."
Oregon church pastor accused of sex attacks on 8 women
11:32 AM MST on Wednesday, October 17, 2007
PORTLAND
- The pastor of a northeast Portland church was arrested for rape and sex abuse Monday, accused of abusing up to eight women.
Portland sexual assault detectives arrested 38-year-old Father Sergio Alvarizares at his Ridgefield, Washington home after
a two week investigation.
Former Mormon Missionary is Back Behind Bars
Oct 17, 2007 11:29 PM CDT
a former Mormon missionary accused
of molesting two little girls is back behind bars. Sources tell the I-Team John Misseldine was arrested Tuesday night for
violating the terms of his probation.
In 2005, Misseldine pleaded no contest to attempted lewdness with a child and coercion.
Catholic priest for trial on 23 sex charges
October 11, 2007 01:35pm
A ROMAN Catholic priest has been ordered to
stand trial in Sydney on 23 sex charges involving teenage boys.
Magistrate Robyn Denes committed Paul Evans today for trial
at the NSW District Court, where the case will be mentioned on October 19.
The committal hearing in Downing Centre Local
Court was told Mr Evans sexually abused a number of teenagers at a boys' home in southern Sydney in the 1980s.
He was
dormitory master at Boys' Town Catholic boarding school at Engadine at the time the alleged incidents occurred.
Sleepovers With Uncle Jeff
The cardiologist traded on his status as a doctor to fondle young girls
Published: October
18, 2007
Jeff and Beth Klem were a model couple at New Life Tabernacle.
Treadway, whom everyone called "Buck," was the
longtime pastor of New Life Tabernacle, a Pentecostal church at the epicenter of the lives of the Treadway clan. Klem made
a great impression upon the church right away. He played cello in the orchestra, sang in the choir and sat in the front pew
every Sunday. At New Life, church members were addressed as "brother" or "sister," but Pastor Treadway junked that for Klem.
Klem was "my son-in-law, the cardiologist." In the mostly working-class congregation, the title had cachet, and Pastor Treadway
intended on using it.
But in 2003, Ashlyn's stepsister Ashlee McEntire spoke up anyway, followed by Ashlyn's sister, Brea.
Ashlyn and Brea's father, Les Treadway, and his second wife Lisa (Ashlee's mom), took the allegations to Buck and Patsy Treadway.
It remained a family secret for two more years, until Randee McDaniel, another young girl from the church, came forward.
Good name at stake in trial
A pastor faces a parishioner's salacious allegations.
Published October 24, 2007
NEW
PORT RICHEY -- They are allegations that could bring ruin to a man of God.
Last summer a male parishioner said he awoke
to find his Baptist minister The leader of Union Missionary Baptist Church hd partially undressed him, straddled his naked
lap and kissed him on the chest. Smart, 48. He is respected in the community, a family man, a successful executive at
Nielsen Media Research.
1997 The Rev Clifford Williams, 49-year-old Rector of Benllech, was stripped of holy orders after an ecclesiastical court
in Wales found that he had had a six-year adulterous affair with a married music teacher in his Anglesey parish. Iris Green,
56, told the court that he seduced her on her sofa when she was vulnerable after the death of her teenage son
2000 The Rev Nigel Williamson left his wife and resigned from St Margaret’s in Swinton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire,
after allegations that he had an affair with Sarah Smith, a married chorister whose child he had christened
2001 The Rev Martin Perry, 57, resigned from St Anne’s, Bristol. His affair with a university lecturer was uncovered
when her husband found e-mails on their home computer. The jilted husband, Simon Waddington, entered the church during a service,
marched up the aisle and loudly accused Mr Perry of being “a fornicating adulterer”
2006 The Rev Keith White, 52, an evangelical vicar from St John the Baptist in Ipswich, resigned along with his curate,
the Rev Lynne Thorpe. The couple, both married with children, had allegedly been having an affair
20 men, including a Rockland priest, charged in Bedford rest-stop sex sting
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication:
October 30, 2007)
BEDFORD - A sting aimed a men who cruise a rest area off Interstate 684 for gay sex resulted in charges
against 20 men in the past month, including a Catholic priest and a registered sex offender.Among those arrested was the Rev.
Gary Mead, a Catholic priest from Millwood assigned to St. Gregory Barbarigo parish
Story Updated: Oct 29, 2007 at 8:14 PM PDT
Watch the story KITSAP COUNTY -- A pastor wanted for allegedly
raping two young girls in his own congregation turned himself in to police Monday morning. And Kitsap County Sheriff's deputies
say two more alleged victims have come forward.
Kitsap County Sheriff spokesman Scott Wilson said pastor Robbin Harper
of the Church in South Colby was taken into custody just after 10 p.m. He's being held on $500,000 bail for investigation
of second-degree child rape
Nov 2, 10:22 PM EDT
Convicted Priest Faces New Abuse Charge
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) -- A retired
Jesuit priest convicted of molesting two boys was taken into custody Friday on a charge that he molested a boy he took on
a trip to Switzerland and Austria seven years ago, prosecutors announced.
The Rev. Donald J. McGuire, 77, has been free
on bond while appealing his conviction last year in Wisconsin that he molested two high school students in the 1960s.
McGuire
was taken into custody Thursday by Wisconsin authorities who said that he failed to keep his sex offender registry updated.
He was turned over to Immigration and Customs agents Friday on the new charge of traveling overseas to engage in sex with
a minor.
Church Youth Minister Allegedly Paid Children For Sex
updated 1:48 p.m. CT, Sun., Nov. 4, 2007
LAKELAND, Fla. -
Police said a youth minister was arrested for allegedly having sex with more than one child. According to police, Marshal
Seymour turned himself in Friday night after a warrant was issued for his arrest, WESH 2 News reported.
The Lakeland Police
Department said the warrant came after an investigation that Seymour committed numerous sexual offenses while he was a volunteer
youth minister at the First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland.
Former pastor sentenced to five years for molesting boy
AP
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Furl DALLAS (AP)
— A former pastor was sentenced to five years in prison and 10 years of probation for molesting a 10-year-old boy whose
family he had known for more than 50 years.
Larry Joe Crocker, who received his sentence Wednesday, ministered to the family
in his role as pastor of the now-defunct Lakeview Christian Church. He was convicted on two counts of indecency with a child.
Nov 7, 6:55 PM EST
Dropped Mo. Abuse Cases Anger Accusers
Associated Press Writer
PINEVILLE, Mo. (AP)
-- A day after charges were unexpectedly dropped in a heavily publicized church sex abuse case, the prosecutor declined to
explain her decision while an attorney for one of the accusers denied defense claims that her client stopped cooperating.
Attorney
Erin Willis said neither of the two women who claimed they were sexually abused as children by the leader of a church commune
have changed their allegations or decided against testifying.
$1B suit launched against Grenville College
Published: Tuesday, November 06, 2007
A $1-billion class-action
lawsuit has been launched against Grenville Christian College in connection with allegations of decades of abuse at
the school.
Also named as defendants are the Anglican Church of Canada, two priests - the Rev. Alastair Haig and
the Rev. Charles Farnsworth - and a Massachusetts-based religious group called the Community of Jesus.
Getting On His Wick: Monk Gets Candle Stuck In Penis
“HE did a very stupid and shameful thing,” says
a Romanian “monastry source” to the Daily Sport. The man with the tonsure is speaking of trainee monk Dumitru
Ilie who is said to have got “hammered” and spent the night a woman he met at a party. A woman who may or may
not have been a nun.
In the morning Dumitru awoke full of regret and with candle wedged up his penis. Says the doctor who
treated him: “I have no idea how he managed to do that but it looked extremely painful.” Albeit unlit…
Nov 14, 8:41 PM EST
Priest Admits Having Sex With Inmates
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A Roman Catholic
priest who worked as a chaplain at a women's federal prison pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual abuse for having sex with two
inmates.
Popular ex-priest hid dark side
He was known as Father Mike, a popular priest at St. Hilary in Pico Rivera and
at St. Paul of the Cross in La Mirada.
But Michael Stephen Baker hid a dark side.
The ex-priest once admitted to having
relationships with boys. Children in parishes he served accused him of molesting them as far back as 1974.
Pastor accused of child rape ruled with an iron hand
Allegations shatter small congregation in South Kitsap pstor
Robb, as he is known to adherents, led a congregation of 60, who met several times a week on the quiet, rural road where Harper
had founded The Church. There, in a gated compound, he preached a non-denominational -- though strict -- interpretation of
the Bible and kept largely to himself. Eight days ago, Harper was charged with multiple counts of child rape stretching back
at least to 1994, after five young women -- all of them one-time members of the congregation -- accused the married father
of four of years of sexual abuse within the church compound. records indicate that Harper and his wife, Christine, lived on
Social Security and veterans benefits, they drove a Jaguar, and later a red Hummer.
Israel May Extradite Sex Abuse Suspect
JERUSALEM (AP) — A man who fled the U.S. for Israel more than two decades
ago amid accusations he sexually abused children while pretending to be a rabbi and psychologist appeared in court in Jerusalem
— a step toward his possible extradition.
Abraham Mondrowitz, 60, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Gur Hasidic Jewish
sect, arrived in court Sunday after his arrest in Jerusalem on Friday. He is accused of abusing children while running an
unlicensed private clinic in Brooklyn during the 1980s.
Sex scandal hits Atlanta-area megachurch By DORIE TURNER, Associated Press Writer
DECATUR, Ga. - The 80-year-old
leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's
wife and fathered a child by her.
Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral
of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered
paternity test.
In truth, this is not the first — or even the second — sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the
independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair.
Pastor
of Washington County church charged with sex crimes
November 28, 2007 10:44 PM
The pastor of a small Washington
County Baptist Church was arrested and charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy in connection with a nearly
10-year-old incident involving a 15-year-old girl, authorities said.
The Rev. Leonard Frazier, 55, of Stonewall Baptist
Church near Chatom, was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail on Tuesday on the basis of a grand jury indictment. He was released
on bail totaling $15,000, according to jail records.
Dec 6, 9:04 PM EST
Navy Chaplain Gets 2 Years for Sex Crime
Associated Press Writer
QUANTICO, Va.
(AP) -- An HIV-positive Navy chaplain was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday after admitting he had sex with an Air
Force officer without disclosing he had the virus and that he forced himself on a Naval Academy midshipman.
Lt. Cmdr. John
Thomas Lee, 42, of Burke, Va., pleaded guilty to forcible sodomy with the midshipman, aggravated assault on the officer and
other crimes after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors at a court-martial at Quantico Marine Corps Base, south of Washington.
SF radio personality Bernie Ward indicted on child porn charges
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Bernie Ward, a popular
liberal San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, has been indicted on federal child pornography charges,
authorities said today.
Pastor forced sex on women, jury told
Dec 11, 2007 04:30 AM
The pastor of a Toronto church, who claimed
to heal people by giving them spiritual baths and naked rubdowns, impregnated two young women he coerced into having sex,
a prosecutor says.
Frank Seeko Lawrence, 58, ordained minister of Toronto Mount Zion Revival Church of the Apostles, fathered
a child by each of the women then threatened them with death when they asked for child support, assistant Crown attorney Paul
Zambonini said yesterday.
Dr. Paul Schum Resigns His Position at Catholic High School
December 12, 2007
BARDSTOWN, KY. (Crime Library)
— Dr. Paul Schum, 50, has resigned his position as principle of Bethlehem High School, in wake of a citation he recently
received from police for loitering for the purpose of prostitution.
Victims tell of Brooklyn priest sex abuse
Sunday, January 6th 2008, 4:00 AM
George Zatarga allegedly abused boys
inside his home near Saratoga Springs.
Father Zatarga liked to watch.
That's what one of the men said as he recounted
how more than 20 years ago the priest told him to undress and stand naked in front of a mirror while the priest watched.
FRAUD:
=================================================================================?
never trust a minister with your money!
Fraud is a common crime within religious communities. Entire books have been written on the subject but
here I will keep it short and to the point. It happens way more than reported due to the fact that there is no outside
auditing being performed via I.R.S. or other Government agencies. So how does this as a congregant effect you?
Well, for starters your church may be crumbling beneath your feet or the poor, whom your community is supposed to be helping,
isn't being served instead the money is ending up in liquor stores, casinos and in many cases in the pocketbooks of prostitutes.
How does this happen? Easy! Donations never get recorded or there are instances of "skimming off the top" and
even extortion takes place to fund whatever bad behavior the minister is into. This can change via allowing the I.R.S.
or other agency to audit all financial records of the congregation. There is another way to catch a thief and that is
to watch your priest CLOSLEY! make a plan with several members of your congregation to keep an eye on your priest from
start of day to finish, find out what he's really doing with all of his idle time, you will be surprised how much time he
has to himself. As a congregation you have a responsibility to the community around you that your minister is
on the up and up, due to the fact that your neighbor is paying for your church (see taxes) through his property taxes as you
are.
The following examples show clearly the blatant misuse of YOUR funds:
Preacher Lived in Luxury as Church Plunged into Debt
An evangelical church with an income of Ģ3.5 million was plunged
into debt after “misconduct and mismanagement”, with its idolized preacher drawing a large unauthorized wage from
worshippers’ donations, a probe showed today.
Pastor Douglas Goodman and his glamorous wife Erica were paid “significant”
salaries and enjoyed other benefits from the funds of the Victory Christian Center charity.
The charismatic couple lived
a life of luxury, owning a Ģ1.5 million house, driving sports cars and taking holidays to exotic destinations.
Goodman,
who preyed on his congregation for sex, was jailed for three and a half years in May for sexually assaulting loyal followers.
The
Charity Commission closed the independent church in Kilburn, north London in December 2002 amid allegations money had gone
missing and that the Goodmans were receiving large personal benefits.
Sep 30, 2004 7:18 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) NEW YORK A former pastor of a Baptist church in Queens, his secretary
and her husband are being charged with embezzling nearly half a (M) million dollars in church funds.
Queens prosecutors
say that Charles Betts, the former pastor of the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Jamaica, Queens, and two others
are charged in an indictment with grand larceny and falsifying business records.
In aftermath of bank closure, critics blame state regulators
Associated Press
EPHRAIM, Utah - The math was
simple: Bad loans plus embezzlement brought down a small-town bank.
The loans were made for hasty business ventures in
a 9,000-strong polygamist enclave that believed the world was about to end.
The insider's fraud was 24 years in the making
and involved cash-filled suitcases and Las Vegas gambling sprees.
Ponzi scheme preacher cons 1,600 churches
ABC News
"A preacher was convicted Monday of stealing nearly $9M
from hundreds of small, black churches across the country by promising them big returns on small investments. Abraham Kennard
was found guilty
Grand jury may probe priest eyed in 1.5M flap
A luxury-loving Manhattan monsignor accused of taking more
than $1.5 million from an 88-year-old parishioner and his upper East Side church could soon face criminal charges,
Utah Women Sue Religious Group for Fraud Wed Apr 27,10:17 PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY - Two women claim they were
bilked out of their life savings by an apocalyptic religious group that promised them land and a face-to-face meeting with
Jesus Christ.
Kaziah Hancock and Cindy Stewart earlier won their lawsuit against Jim Harmston and The True and Living
Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of The Last Days
Man Accused Of Buying Porn With Church Money
DALTON, Ga. (AP) A Chatsworth man has been charged with
using a church's banking information to buy Internet porn.
Robbie Lee Ritchie was indicted Thursday by a Murray County
grand jury on 12 counts of financial identity fraud.
Authorities say Ritchie used a bank account number belonging to Central
Church of Christ in Dalton to access pornography Web sites numerous times last summer.
Prosecutor: Ky. pastor spent cash on Porsche
Indictment says $700K stolen from local church
Gregory Van Tatenhove
(right), U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, holds a press conference at the Covington federal courthouse
to announce the indictment against the Rev. Larry Davis. At left is Steven H. Gurley, FBI special agent in Louisville.
Bishop admits embezzling from church
June 13, 2005
A Morgan Park church bishop admitted he embezzled tens of thousands
of dollars from church collections and even used church money to buy a second Mercedes to complement the one his church provided
for him
Bishop William Ellis of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Morgan Park pleaded guilty
Indictment Says East Side Priest Funneled $800,000 to Himself
Published: July 27, 2005
A Roman Catholic priest
was indicted yesterday on charges of stealing more than $800,000 from his Upper East Side church, prosecutors said
Ripon Pastor Secretly Sells Church
(CBS 13) RIPON A congregation has lost faith in their pastor, after he sold their
church without telling them, and scammed them out of more than half of a million dollars.
A for sale sign never went up
in front of the First Congregational Church in Ripon.
Minister allegedly rips off insurance company
WNCN-TV 17 Raleigh
"A minister was charged Tuesday with
insurance fraud and embezzlement in connection with thefts from a local church and a false burglary report, police said...
Embezzled church money buys shore home, breast implants
The Associated Press
MEDIA, Pa. - Instead of feeding children
in third-world countries and fixing the leaky roof, a woman used money from First Church of Lansdowne collection plates to
buy a shore home and breast implants.
Priest Says He Took Money Because He Was Underpaid
POSTED: 9:44 pm EDT October 7, 2006
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- A
priest who allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from a Delray Beach Catholic church told police he saw himself as
the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company who wasn't properly compensated. Alleging they stole more than $400,000 from the
parish's donations. An audit conducted by the Diocese of Palm Beach alleges the pair misappropriated $8.7 million.
Ohio church cuts counterfeit rabbi loose
Exposed - An evangelical church ends a $4,000-a-month contract with Dallas
"Ari" Crockett, a convicted con artist
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Oregonian
An Ohio-based evangelical church has permanently severed ties with a
Portland-area clergyman exposed by The Oregonian in July as a former fugitive with a long history of deceit and fabrication.
Priest who stole $2M from parish goes free after six months in jail
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Star-Ledger Staff
A Rumson priest who looted parish funds to finance a country-club lifestyle of limousines, Broadway shows and Florida
vacations walked free from a New Jersey prison last week, just six months into his five-year sentence.
The Rev. Joseph
W. Hughes, who prosecutors said stole more than $2 million while serving as pastor of Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church
CALIFORNIA EVANGELIST IS ACCUSED ON ETHIOPIA FUND-RAISING EFFORT
January 11, 1985, Friday
THE
NEW YORK TIMES (NYT); National Desk
DISPLAYING ABSTRACT - Government and private fund-raising specialists say a California
group, using poignant television appeals, appears to have raised millions of dollars in contributions for children in drought-stricken
Ethiopia but there is no indication any aid has reached Ethiopia.
Sentencing Delayed For Pastor Who Sold Church
Randall Radic Faces Prison Time
POSTED: 5:57 am PST January 9,
2007
MANTECA, Calif. -- A former pastor who was arrested after selling his church without telling the congregation will
not be sentenced until next month, court officials said.
Randall Radic was the pastor of First Congregational Church in
Ripon before his arrest in 2005. He sold the 89-year-old church, the town's oldest, for $525,000
Extradition sought of church founders
11 January, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday sought
the extradition of two church leaders arrested in the United States on money smuggling charges.
Priest Indicted For Embezzlement Denies He's Married
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- A priest in Virginia who's suspected of stealing more than $600,000 from two churches denies
accusations in court documents that he was living a double life as a family man in a neighboring county.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
reports that Reverend Rodney Rodis acknowledged there's a woman and three girls living at the home, but denies he was married
Priest Resigns, Can't Account For $500,000 Of Church Funds
GREENWICH, CONN---The Rev. Michael Moynihan, pastor
in one of Connecticut's wealthiest Catholic parishes, has resigned amid intensifying scrutiny of his personal finances after
an audit revealed that he had spent more than $500,000 in church monies without being to show where he spent it.
Church members sue pastor for lost money
Nearly $1 million involved, civil suit says
Thursday, February 01,
2007
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
An East Side pastor drained nearly $1 million from his church, according to a lawsuit filed
by some members of his congregation.
In the civil suit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, 18 members of World
of Pentecost Church accuse the Rev. David Thompson God's word, plus static, on Calvary Satellite Network
Amid accusations
over sex, money and control, Pastor Chuck Smith is about to surrender much of the evangelical radio empire to a man he calls
morally unfit for ministry.
Pastor preaches virtue of wealth, property
TORONTO STAR
A gold bow in the gates of Pastor Paul Melnichuk's estate
in King City is seen.
It was the same morning the Toronto Star published an investigation into how Paul Melnichuk,
patriarch of the Prayer Palace, and his twin sons, Tim and Tom, have amassed a fleet of fine cars and a pricey portfolio of
fancy homes while doing little of the charity work their church claims to do.
Lawsuit Accuses Colo. Pastor of Fraud
DENVER (AP) -- An insurance company sued a prominent Denver minister and
four of his affiliated church groups Tuesday, accusing them of filing fraudulent life-insurance claims on behalf of parishioners.
AIG
Life Insurance Co. claims the Rev. Acen Phillips and other defendants obtained a group life insurance policy on behalf of
as many as 316 people and falsified paperwork to ensure that the bulk of any claims payments would go to them, not surviving
family members of those who were covered.
Mar 27, 11:22 AM EDT
Charity fund pilfered; Oregon church asks pastor to leave
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The
pastor of a downtown Portland church has acknowledged taking church money intended for charity and gambling with it.
The
board of First Christian Church asked Rex Loy to resign after an audit determined that at least $30,000 was taken in 2006
from a fund designed to help struggling members with rent, bills and food.
Mar 28, 10:15 PM EDT
Colo. Parish Leader Facing Money Charges
Associated Press Writer
DENVER (AP) -- The
leader of a breakaway Episcopal parish will face financial misconduct allegations in the diocese's judicial system, officials
said Wednesday., accuses Armstrong of theft and mishandling of hundreds of thousands of dollars over about 10 years. It also
says Armstrong failed to report about $548,000 in income and benefits on state and federal tax forms.
Heiress accuses W. Palm church of exploiting her mental illness
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April
01, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH — Had Lucinda Bennett not gotten swept away in a wave of religious fervor, she could be
living in an oceanfront condo in Palm Beach, her only worry how to spend her $1.8 million inheritance.
Instead, having
given away the condo and the bulk of her great-grandmother's fortune to the venerable First Baptist Church West Palm Beach
Pastor: Extensive criminal history in Texas
06:31 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Herman Lewis has 15-year
criminal history in Texas
IN COURT: Pastor told police he used church money for sex, drugs, booze
POLICE REPORT: Herman
tried to pay cook for sex in his vette
Pastor's wife breaks down outside of courtroom
Pastor's Brother:
"there's something wrong with him"
Police chase ends on Indiana and Monroe
UPDATE, 6pm Wednesday: A request
with the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Records Division found Herman Lewis has been arrested multiple times in
the state of Texas between 1980 and 1995 for:
--theft of groceries valued at less than $20.00 in 1980
--writing a
bogus check in 1981
--misdemeanor forgery in 1988 (convicted)
--theft of property between $1500 and $20,000 in 1995
(convicted), in which a judge recommended Lewis stay away from liquor stores, is not allowed to have or buy a firearm, must
report all sources of income, and participate in an alcohol and drug treatment program
Jun 5, 2007 10:05 AM
Pastor accused of selling prescription drugs
A drug-dealing arrest snares a surprising suspect.
The Mayes County Sheriff's Office says a pastor was selling drugs out of his church!
He was arrested Friday afternoon
at the Salina Community Church.
72-year old Frank Leach is in the Mayes County Jail.
I Sense a Future . . . in Jail
Md. Fortuneteller Gets 18 Months for Bilking Clients
By Ernesto Londoņo
Washington
Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 19, 2007; Page B01
The fortuneteller saw it coming.
Before stepping up to the defense
table yesterday morning to take responsibility for bilking clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, Grace Uwanawich
hugged her husband and two daughters, knowing she would leave the courtroom in handcuffs.
"I promise in Jesus' name I'm
not going to do this again," she said shortly before being sentenced to 18 months in jail. "I know it sounds like I'm using
Jesus. I am ashamed."
Audit: Funds for disabled used to buy adult items
A former pastor is alleged to have spent taxpayer money for the
purchases.
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 29, 2007
A former church pastor with ties to the Central Iowa Employment and
Training Consortium used taxpayer money to purchase adult-oriented books, DVDs and online services, according to a new report
Thursday from State Auditor David Vaudt.
The report focuses on Jimmy Weber, 45, of Sioux City, a former Southern Baptist
pastor and an advocate for disabled Iowans
The priest and the stripper
$200,000 STOLEN FROM PARISH | 'He gave me money for spending time with him'
July
22, 2007
The Rev. Mark Sorvillo loved taking his parish's money and spending it on himself. Trips to Rome, Venice, Paris.
And $900 meals at New York restaurants.
In 1999, Sorvillo found someone else to lavish his parishioners' collection-plate
donations on -- a male stripper.
Sorvillo -- who pleaded guilty Friday to stealing nearly $200,000 from St. Margaret Mary
parish on the North Side
Jul 31, 7:36 AM EDT
Audit Finds Parishes Mishandled Money
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP)
-- A handful of parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego deliberately concealed or inappropriately handled about
$500,000 in funds in sometimes "purposeful attempts" to circumvent federal bankruptcy proceedings, according to an auditor's
report.
The San Diego diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 27, just hours before going to trial in more than 140
lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. The filing automatically halted court proceedings in the lawsuits.
Sunday, 08/05/07
Church members sue pastor
Members of a Nashville church that was the scene of a melee last
weekend turned to the courts last week, claiming their pastor has mortgaged the church without permission, has taken money
and refuses to step down.
The lawsuit, filed against the Rev. N. Curtis Bryant by members of Jackson Street Missionary
Baptist Church
Aug 10, 10:16 PM EDT
Falwell Insurance Rids Liberty U. Debt
Rev. Jerry Falwell Dies at 73
LYNCHBURG, Va.
(AP) -- The late Rev. Jerry Falwell left a $34 million life insurance policy to the college and church he founded, ridding
the financially troubled Liberty University of its debt, his son said Friday.
Baptist Pastor Under Scrutiny
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Sutton, a prominent
Southern Baptist pastor who lost a bid to become president of the denomination, is now facing an upheaval in the mega church
he leads, including complaints that he spent church money on his daughter's wedding.
Catholic priest now faces federal charges
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007 - 12:18 AM
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS
A
Catholic priest accused in state court of embezzling from two Louisa County churches was indicted yesterday by a federal grand
jury on 13 charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and money-laundering.
The Rev. Rodney L. Rodis, 51, had faced 13 embezzlement
counts in Louisa. Its
Aug 25, 12:03 AM EDT
Fallen Pastor Seeks Financial Support
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The Rev. Ted Haggard,
who left the megachurch he founded after admitting to "sexual immorality," has asked supporters for financial assistance while
he and his wife pursue their studies.
The former New Life Church pastor plans to seek a master's degree in counseling at
the University of Phoenix while his wife studies psychology, he said in an e-mail sent this week to KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs.
The
couple and two of their sons planned to move Oct. 1 to the Phoenix Dream Center, a faith-based halfway house in Phoenix, where
Haggard and his wife would provide counseling, the e-mail said.
Scientology Faces Criminal Charges
Sep 4 10:40 AM US/Eastern
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A Belgian prosecutor
on Tuesday recommended that the U.S.-based Church of Scientology stand trial for fraud and extortion, following a 10- year
investigation that concluded the group should be labeled a criminal organization.
Scientology said it would fight the
criminal charges recommended by investigating prosecutor Jean-Claude Van Espen, who said that up to 12 unidentified people
should face charges.
Charter School Network Founder Indicted
Associated Press Writer
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) -- The founder of
one of California's largest charter school networks was indicted Tuesday on 113 felony counts and accused of siphoning millions
in public school funds, prosecutors said.
C. Steven Cox, founder of the now-defunct California Charter Academy, was indicted
on 56 counts of misappropriation of public funds and 56 counts of grand theft
Sep 12, 9:58 PM EDT
Ex-Priest Pleads Guilty in Fraud Case
Associated Press Writer
NEW HAVEN,
Conn. (AP) -- A former priest pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his church by setting
up secret bank accounts to pay for a life of luxury, including traveling around the world and buying a condominium.
The
Rev. Michael Jude Fay, who resigned last year as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation
of money obtained by fraud. He faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and must pay restitution.
Sep 18, 6:48 AM EDT
Founder of Scandal-Mired Monastery Dies
BLANCO, Texas (AP) -- Samuel A. Greene Jr., the
founder of a monastery that closed amid scandal over the alleged sexual abuse of novice monks and a fraudulent weeping Virgin
Mary painting,
Muslim Charity Trial Goes to Texas Jury
Associated Press Writer
DALLAS (AP) -- Weighing two months of testimony,
a jury is attempting to determine whether a Texas-based Muslim charity helped needy people or Middle East terrorists.
Federal
prosecutors accuse the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development of using charity as a cover to funnel millions in illegal
aid to groups controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
2 arrested in alleged 'special potion' money scam
Sun-Sentinel.com
9:34 AM EDT, September 26, 2007 :
FORT LAUDERDALE - Two men were arrested after promising a convenience store clerk that they could multiply his money by using
a "special potion,"
Oct 2, 7:33 PM EDT
Jury Convicts Former Church Accountant
Associated Press Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) -- A former
Cleveland Catholic Diocese accountant was convicted Tuesday of funneling $784,000 in kickbacks to a church official in a scheme
to get diocesan contracts for his firm.
Reverend accused of stealing couple's gift cards
: Oct 3, 2007 at 12:07 AM PDT
Story Updated: Oct 3, 2007
at 8:16 PM PDT
KATU Web Staff
PORTLAND, Ore. - A woman who advertised her services as a reverend on Craigslist was
arrested after police say she performed a marriage ceremony for a couple and then stole gift cards meant for the bride and
groom.
Toronto fortune teller arrested in Calgary
Last Updated: Friday, October 5, 2007 | 6:31 AM MT
The Canadian
Press
A senior known to work as a fortune teller was arrested by Calgary police earlier this week.
Sophie Evon, 77,
is wanted for allegedly bilking a love-lorn woman from Seattle out of her family's savings of $220,000.
She had
been sought by U.S. police since 1999 and was arrested in 2002 while working at a tarot shop in Toronto. But before she was
extradited to the U.S., she fled.
Embezzler gets 7-year prison sentence
Woman took $1 million from friend, preserve
Posted: Oct. 15, 2007
Port
Washington - Saying that "greed, pure and simple" motivated a Saukville woman, an Ozaukee County judge on Monday sentenced
her to seven years in prison for embezzling at least $1 million over several years from an older woman and the nature preserve
she founded.
Cops: Woman stole $700,000 from charity
Pauline Winterbottom, of Greenport. Suffolk prosecutors said she admitted
to stealing $700,000 from the Southold Catholic Church thrift shop to support her gambling habit. (October 19, 2007)
Three priests set up failed business called Shag
Monday October 29 2007
TWO Irish priests accused of misappropriating
millions from a Florida church had formed a mortgage company with another priest called Shag Inc.
Fr John Skehan (80),
originally from Johnstown, Kilkenny, and Fr Francis Guinan (64), originally from Birr, Co Offaly, are accused in relation
to $8.6m missing from church coffers.
Church Members Repeatedly Break Law To Raise Donations
Nov 01 2007 4:36PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A church with a
history of felony convictions and members willing to repeatedly break the law to raise donations has caught the attention
of City Hall.10 Investigates has linked Montgomery to a multi-state church organization headquartered in Tampa, Fla., that
has a history of felony convictions. Reporters have also established that some members continue to break the law to
raise donations for the church.
Dec 6, 9:58 PM EST
Phony Priest Runs Up Supermarket Tab
PITTSTON, Pa. (AP) -- When a man dressed in black
and wearing crosses said to charge his groceries to St. Rocco's Roman Catholic Church, clerks at a West Pittston store obliged.
But police were waiting when the man with the crosses went to check out Tuesday. Officials say Brian Rush, 28, was charged
with the attempted theft of nearly $98 worth of merchandise, and with five other recent thefts totaling $1,800.
Pastor Creflo Dollar faces spending inquiry
Last Updated: 4:06pm GMT 10/12/2007
At the World Changers Church International,
members of the congregation speak in tongues but also know that money talks.
They worship the "God of increase", believe
their debts will be cleared by divine intervention, and serve Jesus by parting with their cash.
TAX INVASION
PAY TO CESEAR WHAT IS CESAERS OR YOU CAN’T LOVE GOD AND MONEY.
YES, HE MEANT THE CLERGY!
According to the I.R.S we as private tax paying citizens pay about $900 per year additionally in taxes for religious
organizations. This doesn't included property tax exemption which could mean an additional $1,000-10,000 on your tax
bill every year. Seems a little high to you? Well, after you consider the vast amounts of usage of the religious granted
only tax exemptions those numbers is just the base of the mountain. Those numbers do not include grants given to religious
programs or other employment benefits allowed such as free discrimination of employees or the avoidance of any kind of regulation
that a secular business would have to adhere to. The religious are getting a massive free ride! YOU’RE
PAYING!
Many people still to this day believe that tax exemption and use of the 501c3 cards are necessary for every org due to
all the charity that these orgs are delivering to communities, which in many cases is simply not true(see survey below).
The findings are from a study conducted for Facts & Trends by Ellison Research (Phoenix, Ariz.) among a representative
sample of 811 Protestant church ministers nationwide.
Only three types of outreach are offered by a majority of U.S. Protestant churches in a typical year: food pantry, food
collection, or other food-oriented donations (73 percent), Vacation Bible School (68 percent), and holiday food programs such
as Christmas or Thanksgiving baskets for poor families (65 percent)
Other types of community outreach offered by much smaller proportions of churches in the last year include prison ministry
(25 percent), homeless outreach (24 percent), Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts (20 percent), blood drives (17 percent), after-school
programs for kids (14 percent), sports programs (11 percent), and outreach to specific ethnic groups (11 percent).
Most do not perform any kind of outreach at all and when there is some sort of charity the materials and workers
are free and volunteer or federally subsidized, it costs the ministry next to nothing to provide a food pantry or clothing
bank but their benefits are astounding! Imagine living in a million dollar home and not having any tax responsibility
for and imagine driving a Mercedes that you can fill up for HALF price at the pump! You then go shopping for clothes
and furniture, again no tax! You decide that you want to take a vacation the hotel, the air fare, the trinkets you pick up
all tax free! You get home and goes grocery shopping yep, tax free also! You are paying for it all.
Glory be the 501c3!
The following are examples of religious orgs being investigated for abuse of their tax exempt status.
Town Bills Church for Property Taxes
WHDH-TV
SCITUATE (AP) -- The Scituate tax board is ordering the Archdiocese
of Boston to pay property taxes on St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church, saying church leaders' plan to close the parish negates
its tax-exempt status.
The church is among more than 80 that the archdiocese has sought to close as part of the consolidation
brought on by declining attendance and persistent financial struggles.
On Tuesday, the Scituate Board of Assessors voted
2-1 to bill the archdiocese $42,000 in taxes annually, based on an assessment of $4.45 million for the 30-acre property.
7/31/06
Strafford texas is only 7 square miles but has 51 tax exempt religious institutions. the town has
300 undeveloped acres left and are trying to block any more orgs coming in." somebody's got to pay for the police, fire and
schools." city councilman willis has said. They are providing zero revenue for the town. They have adopted a rigorous
review process to stem that growth. A business owner in the town is upset by the amount of religious and said "it hurts the
city when you don’t have enough businesses paying taxes."
Liberal Church May Lose Funds over Sermon
Nov 07 9:09 PM US/Eastern
LOS ANGELES
The Internal Revenue Service
has warned a prominent liberal church that it could lose its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon a guest preacher
gave on the eve of the 2004 presidential election, according to church officials.
The Rev. George F. Regas did not urge
parishioners at All Saints Episcopal Church to support either President Bush or John Kerry, but he was critical of the Iraq
war and Bush's tax cuts.
The IRS warned the church in June that its tax-exempt status was in jeopardy because such organizations
are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns and elections.
Conservatives Also Irked by IRS Probe of Churches
The agency's warning to All Saints is part of a wider look into political activity by nonprofits.
By Jason Felch and
Patricia Ward Biederman, Times Staff Writers
The IRS threat to revoke the tax-exempt status of All Saints Episcopal Church
in Pasadena because of an antiwar sermon there during the 2004 presidential election is part of a larger, controversial federal
investigation of political activity at churches and nonprofit groups.
Over the last year, the Internal Revenue Service
has looked at more than 100 tax-exempt organizations across the country for allegations of promoting — either explicitly
or implicitly — candidates on both ends of the political spectrum, according to the IRS. None have lost their nonprofit
status, though investigations continue into about 60 of those.
Bush, Lusk and the Million Dollar Payoff
By Frederick Clarkson
01/05/2006 05:07:07 AM EST
According
to a press release issued by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Pastor Herb Lusk, host of the Religious
Right's "Justice Sunday III" rally this weekend in Philadelphia, "has a long history of partisan activity on behalf of Republicans
and has been awarded more than $1 million in 'faith-based' grants by the Bush administration."
The rally will be held
at Lusk's Greater Exodus Baptist Church, and broadcast nationally, seeks to rally support for the confirmation of Supreme
Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr., President George W. Bush's choice to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
"I'm not at all
surprised that Pastor Lusk would turn his pulpit over to the Religious Right for partisan purposes," said the Rev. Barry W.
Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Lusk long ago decided to play ball with the Bush administration in exchange
for government grants."
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007
Going After the Money Ministries
By DAVID VAN BIEMA
Correction Appended: Nov. 19, 2007
On the website for their ministry based in Newark, Texas, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland commit to "teach Christians worldwide
who they are in Christ Jesus and how to live a victorious life." And they appear to be victorious in theirs, with books in
22 languages, a global crusade schedule and a TV show reaching millions. No less a luminary than presidential hopeful Mike
Huckabee is advertised to appear on the show for six days straight to discuss "character in the Bible."
Huckabee might
want to opt out. On Nov. 6 the Copelands got a saw-toothed, 42 point questionnaire inquiring into their own character from
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance. Grassley wanted to know how Kenneth
Copeland--who as a church leader pays no taxes but is expected to plow revenue back into the public welfare--got a private
plane and whether flights to Hawaii and Fiji qualified as business trips. Grassley sought credit card receipts and the numbers
of the church's offshore bank accounts.
Copeland wasn't Grassley's only pen pal. He also wrote to the Revs. Creflo Dollar,
Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer and Paula White, in total six televangelists who are part of an evangelical subculture
known loosely as Prosperity gospel.
Evangelist going on trial for tax evasion charges 7:24 AM
07:24 AM EDT on Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By ANNA
CROWLEY / WCNC
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The onetime leader of the Inspiration Network, now based in Fort Mill, S.C., is in
court next week in San Diego on tax evasion charges. Dr. Morris Cerullo raised the Inspiration Network up from the shambles
it was in when owned by Jim Bakker's PTL Ministry.
Lavish lifestyles at odds with pastor’s calls for the faithful to sacrifice
Johnston and his family travel abroad, live in big houses and drive church-owned SUVs.
By JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas
City Star
Expensive trips. New homes. An elite credit card.
The lifestyle of the Rev. Jerry Johnston’s family
has raised eyebrows among former members of First Family Church.
“Everything is extravagant,” said Melisa Gingrich,
who left the church last year. “That’s the way the Johnstons live.”
Johnston and the church board will
not reveal his compensation, nor how much he makes from his for-profit corporation that handles his books, videos and speaking
engagements.
Complaint filed with IRS after Tampa televangelist compares Romney to Satan
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post
Posted June 1 2007, 10:44 AM EDT
WASHINGTON _ Florida evangelist Bill Keller says he was making a spiritual -- not
political -- statement when he warned the 2.4 million subscribers to his Internet prayer ministry that ``if you vote for Mitt
Romney, you are voting for Satan!''
But the Washington-based advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and
State says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should revoke the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of Bill Keller Ministries, nonetheless.
Standing Down
Supreme Court Narrowly Makes It Harder To Bring Taxpayer Challenges To Bush ‘Faith-Based’
Crusade
by Rob Boston
Since President George W. Bush took office, the White House has spent millions of taxpayer dollars
promoting the “faith-based” initiative in a series of conferences around the country.
At these events, religious
leaders were exhorted to apply for federal funding to provide a variety of social services. Speakers celebrated the role of
religion in public life and lauded Bush as a man of deep faith.
As this was going on, federal agencies were ordered to
establish “faith-based” offices to promote the initiative. Cabinet officials often praised the plan and made special
efforts to reach out to religious leaders.
If all of this sounds inappropriate in a nation where church and state are separate,
the Supreme Court has a message for you: Get over it.
Drilling for God
by Gabriel Sherman October 2007 Issue
Guided by the Bible, a quest to find oil in Israel.
MAN
OF FAITH John Brown, founder of Zion Oil & Gas, in downtown Dallas on June 5.
"He made him ride on the high places
of the earth, and he ate of the produce of the fields; and he made him suck honey out of rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.”
—ZION OIL & GAS VISION STATEMENT (Deuteronomy 32:13)
On a bend in the four-lane highway that weaves inland
from the Mediterranean toward Megiddo, Israel, the ancient hillside town better known by its Latin name, Armageddon, the vertical
silhouette of an oil derrick rises 12 stories above the patchwork of lemon groves stretching into the countryside beyond.
This is verdant kibbutz land, dotted with grain silos and hayfields, and the curious sight of an oil platform stands out like
a rusted nail hammered into a green quilt. The only sign of oil is a service station a few miles up the road. But according
to an evangelical Christian from Houston named John Brown, who founded the little-known Dallas company Zion Oil & Gas,
the Bible prophesied that this unassuming corner of Israel would yield untold riches of crude oil—enough to realign
the combustible geopolitics of the Middle East.
Brown isn’t here at the moment, however. He’s back in Zion’s
nondescript office, in traffic-choked northeast Dallas, doing what he does best: trying to raise money, shoring up the faithful,
praying (literally) every day for a strike while getting regular updates from the field, courtesy of Zion’s president,
Glen Perry, the laconic, twang-talking Texan who runs the drilling operation. Oddly (or perhaps not), the pressure on Brown
to produce oil from this $8.5 million enterprise comes less from Zion’s 3,000 shareholders—most of them evangelicals
like himself—than from his theology. Wildcatters guided by the Bible aren’t without precedent. Ancient texts have
referred to asphalt seeps and natural-gas flares, key clues to the location of undiscovered oil reserves. Scholars believe
that Iraq’s Kirkuk fields, which seep natural gas, played the role of the fiery furnace described in the book of Daniel,
into which Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar cast the Jews.
