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From: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All Msg #80, 19-Feb-90 21:09edt
Subject: Clergy Abuse part 1 of 14
Clergy and Laity Abuse of People
by Alisandra and Ammond Shadowcraft
The following newspaper clippings are taken from FREETHOUGHT
TODAY, published by The Freedom From Religion Foundation, P.O. Box
750 Madison. WI 53701. My very special thanks to Alisandra for
typing almost all of this file.
A woman suspected of being a witch was dragged from her hut,
tied to a tree, and then axed to death by neighbors in an eastern
village in India, the latest in several killings of women suspected
of being "witches." The Santhal tribes believe many women,
especially widows, have the power to heal the sick and cast evil
spells. (AP/Quad City Times 4/26/89
REV. GARY HEIDNIK, convicted of raping and killing women he
chained in his Philadelphia church-home basement, received a 2nd
death sentence. (USA Today, 3/3/89)
Every state except West Virginia has made snake-handling
illegal. There have been 11 documented deaths since 1945, although
snake-handling is also practiced in parts of Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana and Tennessee, thanks to Mark, chapter 16:17-18. "See, I
handle serpents because it's in the Bible, like a commandment. And
I drink strychnine because the Bible says it won't hurt me. Now,
either every word in that Bible is right or it's wrong," says
snake-handler DEWEY CHAFIN. (People Magazine 4/26/89)
A volunteer Sunday School teacher, music teacher and
groundskeeper at Bethel Baptist Church, Novoto, CA, CONFESSED to
raping and murdering a 13 year old girl on April 13. "I murdered
her. I strangled her and I bludgeoned her," SCOTT MARTIN WILLIAMS,
29, told police a week later. He lured Jenifer Moore, a popular 8th
grade student, into the church, tied her up, raped her, strangled
her with a cord and beat her with a baseball bat. His friends
insisted he could not be guilty, although police traced him through
incontrovertible evidence. "He is a devout Christian," who likes
to talk about God and the Bible, said a clerk at the food mart
managed by Williams, where he has spoken often about the unsolved
murder. (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/21/89)
BARTLEY J. DOBBEN was judged mentally ill and guilty of 1st
degree murder for putting his 2 sons, ages 2 and 15 months, in a
red-hot foundry ladle on Thanksgiving Day. Dobben said "God had
dictated through the Bible" that he kill his sons since they were
going to die anyway. He had joined Emmanuel Fellowship whose
preacher violently attacked his own mother and checked himself into
a psychiatric hospital in late April. (AP 5/4/89; Mohave Valley
News, 5/18/89)
Four members of the Ecclesia Athletic Association were
convicted of 1st degree manslaughter for beating an 8 year old girl
to death on Oct 13. Dayna Broussard was the daughter of the group's
founder. CONVICTED were: WILLIE K. CHAMBERS, 35; BRIAN K. BRINSON,
31; CONSTANCE Z. JACKSON, 38; and FREDRICK P. DOOLITTLE, 28.
(Sacramento Union, 5/13/89)
REV. HERMAN FOUNTAIN was sentenced to 1 year in jail and 4
years' probation for striking a Mississippi state trooper.
Fountain, 39, a Baptist, operates the notorious Bethel Children's
Home in Lucedale, MS, which has refused to turn over records on
children in its custody, many of whom have run away and reported
gross maltreatment. (Montgomery Advertiser, 5/17/89) [More later
on Rev. Fountain.]
A Christian fundamentalist got 12-year probation, was ordered
to pay court costs and work 500 hours for setting 19 fires at
Indianapolis bookstores, massage parlors and their customer's cars,
causing $170,000 in property damage and injuring two firefighters.
Two other followers of REV. GREG DIXON'S Baptist Temple await
trial. (Indianapolis Star, 4/22/89)
TONY ALAMO, leader of a Christian sect, was charged with
felony child abuse in the beating in 1988 of an 11 year old boy at
the group commune in Santa Clarita Valley. "I favor spanking
children; you know that. It says so in the Bible. People have to
decide whether to do what the Lord says or the state." Alamo issued
orders over a speaker phone, listing each of the child's
transgressions and dictated how many times to paddle the child. The
child could not sit down without a pillow for 2-3 weeks. Five of
his followers were also charged. (LA Times, 4/15/89)
Officials stoned to death 11 prostitutes and 4 pimps in a
sports stadium as thousands watched in the Gulf city of Bushehr.
A court had convicted them of "spreading corruption on Earth,"
according to the newspaper KAYHAN. Typical execution by stoning
involves hooding and burying prisoners in a hole (waist deep for
men, chest-high for women). Judicial officials or police stand in
a circle around the convict. The sentencing judge throws the first
stone as others follow, shouting 'Allah-O Akbar' (God is Great).
(Houston Post, 4/26/89)
PIERRE LACROIX, a French Canadian Catholic TV evangelist, was
freed on bail from prison -- only 2 days after he was sentenced to
2 years in prison. He was convicted of molesting a teenage boy for
5 years during counseling sessions. Sentencing Justice Jean
Bienvenue said Lacroix carried on a "marathon of gross indecency"
at his "Marathon of Love" rallies. Pedophiles should not be loose
on the streets, he said. However, Judge Yves Bernier, Quebec Court
of Appeal, said Lacroix's return to society is not a public danger.
The verdict and sentence are under appeal. A Crown psychiatrist
said the married father of 4 showed no remorse or understanding of
the gravity of his crime. (The Spectator, 3/16/89; Canadian Press,
3/18/89)
Prominent former priest BRENDAN FOLEY was charged with
sexually assaulting boys between 1982 and 1985 when he worked as
a parish priest. Foley, 43, was known as the "Singing Priest." He
is the 8th well-known and popular member of Newfoundland's Roman
Catholic community to be charged with sexual abuse. Two priests are
serving 5 year prison terms; 3 other priests and a former priest
await preliminary hearings. The province of 567,000 people, one-
third Catholic, only has 100 priests. (Spectator, 3/18/89; Chicago
Tribune, 3/27/89)
COL. JAMES L. MOODY, Brooke Army Medical Center's top
chaplain, who faced up to 19 years, reached a tentative deal to
serve no more than 3 years' prison for sexual misconduct involving
2 female clients. (San Antonio Light, 3/29/89)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese-Atlanta is paying $358,000 to
families of 3 altar boys molested by British priest ANTON MOWAT.
The Church returned Mowat to England for treatment rather than
reporting him to police. Mowat fled the treatment center and is a
fugitive. He was charged last year with molesting 4 boys from a
suburban Stone Mountain parish. (Idaho Statesman, 4/6/89)
Delaware TV preacher WILLIAM J. KEICHLINE, 52, known for
homeless work, is charged with 3 years of rape, bondage and
homemade pornography involving a girl, now aged 10. As her
landlord, he threatened to evict her family if she said anything.
He was charged with multiple counts by New Castle Co. police.
Mission of Care, the 2-state ministry he founded in 1979 --
including a TV show, "camp for needy children," and outreach center
-- ousted him following the charges. The group, long affiliated
with PTL Club, was honored by the state legislature in 1983 for
opening a shelter for 17 homeless people during record cold;
however the shelter closed after 4 days for code violations.
Keichline is married with 3 grown sons. ([Wilmington] News Journal,
3/17/89; Sacramento Union, 3/18/89)
ROBERT CUSHING, 36, of Dubuque, was sentenced to 10 years
after pleading guilty to a felony sex charge of molesting boys at
Wahlert Catholic High School, and 2 years to a charge of
prostitution. (Clinton Herald [IA], 4/4/89)
DR. THOMAS HAVEL, a Catholic priest who heads the psychiatric
unit at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., is being sued
by a 34-year-old former client who says he sexually exploited her
for 5 years starting when she was 13. Her attorney says the priest
admitted the abuse, offered the woman a $135,000 confidential
settlement and threatened to commit suicide if she didn't take it.
The hospital, which never investigated the charges, says his work
there is "flawless." (San Jose Mercury News, 3/29/89)
SHAWN CHARLES "BROTHER DUSTY" WILLIAMS, 50, got 10 years in
jail after pleading guilty to showing pornography and fondling 2
young boys. The preacher-plumber worked as a volunteer bus driver
for the New Covenant Fellowship Church of San Antonio, picking up
stray kids to take them to church. He blamed the "devil" for his
crimes. (San Antonio Light, 4/6/89)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese-Baltimore made a secret
settlement with a couple who accused REV. WILLIAMS Q. SIMMS of
molesting their 13 year old son, an altar boy. He suffered
depression and required psychiatric treatment, following the
inflicted "ritualistic sexual fantasies." The family had asked for
$12 million. (Maryland Sun, 3/28/89)
REV. WILLIAM EDWARD THOMPSON, JR., 45, charged with 21 counts
of child sexual abuse, pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. The
married father of 4 sons was headmaster at St. Timothy's Episcopal
Church in Catonsville. He was charged with child pornography and
molesting 7 boys, ages 11 to 16, in his home and on church
property. A social worker reported him. (The Maryland Sun, 4/8/89)
REV. THOMAS HUNT was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing
a 5 year old girl and her 7 year old brother during visits in the
rectory. He was children's choir director at the United Methodist
Church in East Benton. The girl had nightmares before visits and
asked her mother to make the minister "stop rubbing" Vaseline on
her "privates." The boy added, "Believe her, mommy, he did it to
me too." (Scranton Times, 4/4-7/89)
ROBERT MESSERSMITH, 46, a catechism instructor at Our Lady of
Victory Catholic Church in north Minneapolis who works with many
youth groups, was charged with coercing 10 boys to perform sex
acts. Boys ages 12-15 say he showed them pornography and urged them
to masturbate during camping trips. In 1976, when director of the
Salem, NH Boys Club, he was convicted of sexually assaulting 2 12-
year-old boys and was given 2 years' probation. He is married with
3 children. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 3/28/89)
PAUL ROSS INGRAM, 43, who formerly ran the Thurston Co. crime
prevention program, is charged with rape and statutory rape. Ingram
was the GOP county chair from 1986-1988, and is a member of the
Four Square Gospel Church. Two other men linked to law enforcement
and community service were also charged. (Seattle Post-
Intelligencer, 4/4/89)
JAMES CLIFTON NALLEY, a volunteer at Bible Baptist Church in
Fernandina Beach, Fla., was charged with fondling 2 church girls,
ages 9 and 11. Church members phoned police after a child reported
the abuse. (Florida Times-Union, 4/4/89)
A federal sting operation to find child
pornographers/molesters yielded 6 arrests in Philadelphia,
including Presbyterian minister JOHN MCVAY, 53. He allegedly
solicited sex with 2 girls ages 9 and 12. He was charged with
criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviant sexual
intercourse. He also sent a 15 year old girl obscene material and
a letter soliciting sex. (Intelligencer-Record, 3/10/89)
Evangelist TONY LEYVA received a 20 year prison sentence on
March 28 for running a child prostitution ring. Federal Dist. Judge
James Turk called him and his 2 partners "bad to the core." Leyva
was previously sentenced to 2.5 years for sexually abusing 2 boys
in Virginia. His religious accomplices RIAS EDWARD MORRIS, 27, got
15 years, and FREDDIE H. HERRING, 50, got 12 years. All were fined
$5,000. Agents located at least 30 boys, some as young as 8,
molested by Leyva in the past 20 years; some put the total at 800
victims. (New York Times, 3/29/89)
Indianapolis music minister REV. CLAYTON DUANE HEIL, 42,
employed by Lighthouse Tabernacle, is being sued by a 14 year old
choir girl for rape over a 3 month period in 1985. The suit also
names REVS. WILLIAM W. and DAVID TOTMAN. Said a church official,
"they're not just fighting us, they're fighting God." (Carmel News-
Tribune, 4/5/89)
Baptist minister HENRY BAZIL WATERS, 49, was convicted of
fondling 3 young boys and untold others at the Grace Baptist Temple
Church in Statesboro, Ga., and in his home and car. Waters'
testimony that he "saved" youth through "sex instruction" matched
testimony of the victims. Waters admitted fondling boys in Latin
America, saying "I have no idea" how many children he had abused.
Waters was given permission to attend church while free on bond.
(Atlanta Journal, 2/18/89)
REV. THOMAS V. COSSAIRT, 72, retired former pastor of First
Baptist Church, Carter Lake, received a suspended 1 year jail
sentence and 2 years' probation after pleading guilty to indecent
contact with a child. A charge involving a 2nd child was dropped.
He lives in Commerce, Okla. (Omaha World Herald)
JOSEPH NEWMAN, of Lucedale, Miss., says he married his
secretary and her 8 year old daughter "under orders from God."
After officials removed the child and her brother from his home,
Newman vowed that "God is angry" because the Koran gives him the
right to "up to four wives," including child brides. (Mobile Press
Register, 3/11/89; Press Register Reporter)
Former Salvation Army Capt. JACK HOLCOMB, 50, pleaded guilty
to having intercourse with a girl under the age of 14 while heading
the chapter. During his tenure, he received a community service
award for trying to house and feed refugees in the Plattsburgh, NY
area. (Syracuse Herald-Journal, 3/1/89)
"Popular, dedicated" youth pastor DOUGLAS BOUDINOT, 39,
married with children, has been charged with 2 counts of rape while
leading a Christian youth group in California. Santa Cruz
authorities charged him with rape when a young woman reported that
Boudinot had sexually assaulted her in 1983, when she was 17 and
a member of Young Life. Professing medical expertise, he reportedly
committed many of the assaults under the guise of conducting
medical examinations. Washington police have also located victims
reportedly abused while Boudinot worked as youth pastor at Kent
Covenant Church, taking youth groups on overnight outings and trips
to Germany and Mexico. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/23/89)
Radio preacher REV. FRED KENTON BESHORE, 63, of Newport Beach,
Calif., was charged with influencing the testimony of a witness,
a felony. He is accused of phoning the father of a girl reportedly
molested by neurosurgeon Dr. Francis Williams, offering him $1,500
a month for 2 years if he would stop his daughter's testimony.
Police taped offers. Charges against the neurosurgeon for molesting
preteen and adult patients were dropped, but could be reopened.
Beshore runs Bible Institute of the Air, buying bibles to smuggle
into communist countries. (Orange Co. Register, 2/28/89; 3/1/89)
PAUL SLATER, 64, a traveling evangelist, was charged with 4
counts of sexual battery after 8 and 12 year old sisters reported
being molested and raped by him. Slater, a "trusted neighbor,"
befriended their family. An investigator said, "We encourage people
to listen to what their children have to say. Many of these cases
go on for months and years." (Ocala Star-Banner, 2/18/89)
A 25 year old San Jose woman reports being molested and raped
between the ages of 11-13 by a priest, who was also her mother's
lover. She saw him rape her younger sister. Their mother is now
demanding that the Diocese of San Jose take action against the
priest, still pastor of a Santa Clara church: "We want him to admit
this happened... We want him removed from situations where children
are at risk." After 10 months of negotiating, no action to remove
the priest or protect children has been taken. The criminal statute
of limitations has run out. (San Jose Mercury News, 3/10/89)
FATHER HARRY MCINTEE is charged with sexually assaulting
children from the 1950s to the 1980s at a church-run native
residential school at St. Joseph's Mission, British Columbia.
(Ottawa Citizen, 2/27/89)
Former priest JOHN BAUER, 52, is a fugitive being hunted for
making child pornography in Mexico. Three other suspects are
involved, including DAVID NEGRETTE, 26, an assistant scoutmaster.
Police say the four men regularly made trips from the Los Angeles
area 200 miles south to Ensenada. Poor boys aged 8 to 14 were paid
small amounts to perform sexual acts with each other and the men
in shacks and hotels. Videotapes were distributed around the world.
Bauer worked as a priest for 7 years in social work projects,
including group homes for neglected children in Helena, Mont. He
left the church in 1970 and directed the social work program at
Montana State University. He had owned 3 pornographic west coast
bookstores. (Billings Gazette, 4/14/89)
UPDATE: Bauer, a former priest who often wore his clerical
collar even after leaving the church in 1970, was arrested in
Spokane by FBI authorities, facing charges of producing of child
pornography and conspiring to molest children in California. Bauer,
self-described "porno priest," was on the run for 15 months, after
charges surfaced that he exploited youths and runaways from Mexico.
He worked as a director of the social work program in Montana State
University-Bozeman during the 1970s, then opened 4 pornography
shops. (Spokesman-Review, 12/13/89)
Despite multimillion dollar lawsuits in 2 states against
Church of Christ public humiliation ("disciplining") of women for
"sexual misconduct," Nashville elders vow to continue their
crusade. What about all the wayward ministers? (Nashville Banner,
2/14/89)
REV. JOHNATHAN HAMLIN, 24, convicted of shooting his live-in
girlfriend last July, got 15 years in prison. Hours after the
shooting he preached at 1 of the 3 Mississippi Baptist churches he
served. (Palm Beach Post, 1/7/89)
Florida authorities say twin girls, 7 months old, were
deliberately suffocated. They were left alive in the care of REV.
JOHN W. HEFLIN JR., 45, of Belleview, their babysitter.
New reports of child abuse prompted the removal of two minors
from the notorious Bethel Children's Home in Lucedale, Ms. A 15
year old from Alabama and 12 year old from New York were removed
following reports of abuse by a runaway. Last June 72 children were
removed from the welfare department; many testified to excessive
beatings and boot-camp type regimens. In contempt of court, REV.
HERMAN FOUNTAIN and colleagues have $300,000 in unpaid penalties,
and face a jury trial for assaulting police officers. The state
requires no licensing for religious homes. However, the legislature
passed a bill, in effect July 1, requiring 24-hour childcare homes
to submit monthly lists of names and places of origin for each
child and staff member, and educational information. (Mobile
Register, 4/11/89)
REV. SHIRLEY FREEMAN, a 74 year old vicar, murdered his wife
of 46 years when he was unable to find his favorite program on the
radio. He bludgeoned her for over 2 hours. He was sentenced to
spend the rest of his life in a monastery in southern England
because he was too old for prison. (LA Times, 2/20/89)
A woman accompanying a friend to a Brooklyn, NY abortion
clinic was tossed against a wall 3 times by an off-duty police
officer who shouted, "In the name of Jesus Christ, do you know
what's going on in there?" When she lodged a complaint against him
at a police station, she was strip-searched and jailed. The officer
was convicted of reckless assault. A state jury found the officer
liable for $400,000 and the city liable for $600,000. (NYT,
12/14/88)
MARK RIPPBERGER and SUSAN MIDDLETON-RIPPBERGER were sentenced
to 5 years' probation and fined $5,000 on Nov. 2 after being found
guilty of criminal negligence in the death of their 8 month old
daughter in 1984 from untreated meningitis. "She was not beaten to
death or starved, but she's dead just as if she were beaten and
starved," said the prosecution. The judge ordered the couple to
take a family health or first aid course, read Good Housekeeping's
"Family Health and Medical Guide," and authorize emergency medical
care for their other school-age children. The Christian Science
Monitor accused California of "unhidden antagonism toward Christian
Science" for prosecuting the case. With 1,945 churches, it is the
largest US religious organization shunning medical care.
(Reuters/Newark Star-Ledger, 11/5/89; Washington Post, 11/11/89)
The Circuit Court in Alpena, MI ruled in favor of Dr. Michael
Taylor, who was sued by Jehovah's Witness Cindy Werth for
transfusing blood to her in a post-childbirth crisis. Werth said
it violated her religion; the court said it saved her life. (USA
Today, 11/7/89)
A woman from Waukegan, IL who was injured in a traffic
accident in Wisconsin bled to death after refusing a blood
transfusion because of her religious beliefs. Gloria H. Carter, 54,
a Jehovah's Witness, died on Dec. 14 of massive internal injuries.
An elder from her church complained: "Even though they made a big
deal over the blood issue in Kenosha, that was not the cause of her
death." ([Waukegan] News-Sun, 12/15/89)
Authorities found a seriously-ill 6 year old girl whose father
went to jail along with his pastor rather than tell her
whereabouts. The sect rejects medical treatment. The girl was
located in a secluded log home after an anonymous tip. Swollen and
anemic, Melinda Sue James appeared to have kidney failure. She
disappeared May 5 after the state ordered her to be medically
examined. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/1/89)
A mother who starved to death her daughter, 4, in order to
exorcise her of evil spirits, received a 7 year prison term for 3rd
degree murder. The Florida mother, DARLENE JACKSON, 33, agreed to
testify against MARY NICHOLSON, an evangelist charged with
influencing Jackson to withhold food from daughter Kimberly McZinc.
Jackson told the judge she would devote herself to "exposing people
like Mary Nicholson." Nicholson's trial is in February. The girl
died on Feb. 8, 1988. The home had been investigated for neglect
prior to her death, but a state agency had taken no action.
Jackson, who has a master's degree, was also ordered to pay $23,000
in court costs and serve 8 years' probation. (AP/Miami Herald,
7/27/89; Pensacola News Journal, 11/30/89)
LARRY AND LEONA COTTAM, found guilty in Wilkesbarre, PA in
September of starving their 14 year old son Eric to death, are free
on bail pending an appeal. Eric's 69-pound body was found Jan. 4,
1989 after the family had fasted for 6 weeks. Larry, a former
Seventh-Day Adventist minister, had $3,700 but would not buy food
with it, saying it belonged to the Lord. "We were wondering, 'Is
our faith being tested?' like when God asked Abraham to go up and
sacrifice his son on the altar," Cottam said. "It was a kind of
very close family togetherness," Cottam said. In the understatement
of the decade, he added, "In some way, we lost perspective on
reality." Their daughter Laura, now 13, who weighed 77 pounds when
she was found after her brother's death, is in foster care. The
Cottams are basing their appeal on grounds that the boy starved
himself to death to express his freedom of religion. (Scranton
Times, 8/29/89; Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/2-9/89; AP, 12/26/89)
VIRGINIA JENKINS, 37, of Anderson, SC, was ruled incompetent
to stand trial in charges that she sexually assaulted her son, 14,
during an exorcism. She also rubbed glass and salt into his wounds.
(USA Today, 1/4/90)
The principal of Cornerstone Christian Academy (near
Indianapolis) and her husband were charged with battery for
paddling 2 pupils, ages 10 and 12, for bad grades. (Indianapolis
Star, 12/15/89)
DAVID L. DOUGLASS, principal of Mountain View Christian School
in Derry Township, PA, was found guilty of paddling a 7 year old
child until he was bruised. The boy was paddled for talking in
class. "What we are talking about," said the prosecutor, "is a man
who is blinded by his religion. The man does not see that the way
to treat a hyperactive child is not to beat him into submission."
(Express, 9/24/89)
A Fayetteville, NC minister, his wife and another woman were
charged with felony child abuse for beating 4 children last year.
They are part of Holy Tabernacle storefront church, where Rev. John
Charles McCollum, 39, is "chief apostle." He also preaches over
radio stations in North and South Carolina and in tent revivals.
Four children, who range in age from 3 to 15 years, suffered
permanent scars on their bodies from serious physical injury. One
is scarred permanently on the face. They were removed from the
McCollum home in December, where Irish Lamont Williams, 32, mother
of two of the children, also lives. Two other adults are being
sought for abusing the children. (Fayetteville Times, 1/11/89)
New Hampshire authorities have filed felony assault charges
against a fundamentalist couple for beating their children with a
stick and paddle. The kids were removed from their home. STEPHEN
and JOANNE DECOSTA have found support in their church, and in
character witnesses such as a former governor and a police officer
whose children attend a church-run school with the DeCosta
children. "The Bible definitely and expressly teaches the use of
the rod in the discipline of children and we believe it, and we do
it, and I teach it," said DeCosta's pastor, Richard Anderson of the
Calvary Independent Baptist Church, Meredith. (AP/Clinton Herald
[IA], 10/31/89)
REV. ROBERT G. HALVERSTADT, 61, of Victory Center Church,
Pueblo, CO, was sentenced to a year in jail, after admitting he
used games, coercion and drugs to sexually molest 3 girls in his
congregation. Charges involving 4 other victims were dropped when
he pleaded guilty to reduced counts. He was given credit for 135
days already spent in jail, plus 4 years' probation. Halverstadt
assaulted a girl, 9, who volunteered to help him clean his church.
Another girl said he gave her something to drink that made her fall
asleep. She woke up naked with pain in her groin area. (Chieftain,
12/15/89)
The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the convictions of REV. DARWIN
G. DAMEWOOD, 54, sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a
teenager in 1987 and sexually assaulting him. The Court affirmed
all 8 counts against Damewood, formerly with the Rossville
Methodist Church, ruling it permissible for another teenager to
testify at the trial that Damewood had molested him too. (Topeka
Capital-Journal, 12/9/89)
STANLEY DENNIS CUMMINGS, 34, a bible school teacher, was
sentenced to more than 2,000 years in prison after being convicted
of 60 counts of child molesting and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Cummings befriended 8 boys he met through church, friends and
employment, molesting, sodomizing and photographing them in sexual
acts. He beat one victim, tape-recording it for sexual
gratification. "Ten seconds of indiscretion is ruining my entire
life," he complained, referring to oral sex with a boy, 10. He told
the judge: "But I have an illness. You cannot make me a criminal."
(Arizona Daily Star, 9/19/89)
REV. JOHN MICHAEL LIADIS, 56, of Largo, FL, was sentenced to
10 years' probation after a no-contest plea to 1 count of
committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16. He was
also fined $500, told to stay away from children, and ordered to
undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He grabbed a girl, 15, the
daughter of friends, at a church retreat. Liadis was relieved of
his duties at the church camp. (NT Times, FL, 11/4/89)
MARY LOU GALLUP, 61, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for
child molestation, and must pay for counseling for her victim, a
4 and a half year old girl. Her husband, Edward Sr. and son, were
convicted of molesting kids at the family's two Christian
preschools in Portland. (Register-Guard [Eugene, OR], 12/5/89)
REV. WALTER N. STONE, pastor of Rollstone Congregational
Church in Fitchburg, MA, was sentenced to 7-15 years in prison
after being convicted by a jury of 8 counts of molesting 2 boys.
Two victims, now 18 and 21, testified Stone befriended them during
church counseling and activities. Stone, 56, is married with 4
children, an Air Force veteran, with a doctorate in theology from
Boston University. Several friends and colleagues wrote letters of
commendation for him. (Worcester Telegram, 11/10/89)
REV. ROBERT DUANE SCHULTZ, 52, of Washington, Iowa, was
sentenced to 30 years in prison after confessing to acts described
as "horribly perverse" on boys under age 12, involving 1 count of
sexual abuse and 3 others of lascivious acts. Officials are giving
him polygraph tests and blood tests in an effort to identify other
victims. The married minister was a foster parent honored in 1989
by Gov. Terry Branstad for volunteer service. Victims included
foster children; five were removed from his home upon his arrest.
The prosecution said a law preventing prosecution for sex assaults
occurring more than 4 years ago should be changed, and would have
resulted in more charges against Schultz. Rev. John Bennett told
Schultz' congregation at First Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ), "Bob has fallen...into a deep pit of despair. But Bob has
not fallen from the grace of God." Church policy requires that he
be defrocked for committing a felony. (Des Moines Register, 10/30-
11/3/89; AP/Clinton Herald, 10/30/89)
REV. DAVID SWOPE, minister at Sparks United Methodist Church,
NV, was sentenced to 1 year in county jail, suspended to 3 years'
probation, and psychological counseling. Swope pleaded no contest
to a plea bargain of open & gross lewdness. He molested a girl, age
10, after choir practice, telling her she was one of his favorites
and it meant nothing sexual. He was accused of taking indecent
liberties with another girl 8 years ago. (Reno Gazette Journal,
10/28/89)
JOHNNIE VERNON WOODS JR., 36, a lay minister at a North Little
Rock church, got 3 consecutive sentences for abducting and raping
a girl, 9. A jury found him guilty of 2 counts of rape and 1 count
of kidnapping. (Tulsa World, 10/29/89)
BRUCE KRAHN, 37, pleaded guilty to molesting a student, 15,
at Calvary Academy where he taught math. He got 1 year probation,
a $500 fine, and a possible 60-day jail sentence. He asked her to
stay after school, turned off the lights, shut the door, asked her
questions about sex education she got in the public schools,
hugged, fondled her and asked her to touch him. She reported it to
her parents. He was fired and the state will revoke his teaching
license. (Journal-Register [Springfield, IL], 10/25/89)
GEORGE DEGOLYER, 42, pastor of Verona Christian Fellowship,
WI, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 5 years' probation after
pleading no contest to 1st degree sexual assault of an 8 year old
girl visiting his home. He carried the girl upstairs, pulled down
her pants and molested her. He was ordered to have no unsupervised
conduct with minors except his children. The DA agreed to ask the
court to amend the charge to 4th degree if he does not violate
probation. (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/1/89)
JAMES KENNEDY, a Salvation Army pastor from LaCrosse, WI, was
sentenced to 6 years in prison plus 10 years' probation for 1st
degree sexual assault of a girl, 10. He was ordered to pay for
counseling. She was sexually abused at his home 4 times in 1985.
Supporters have rallied to his cause. The day after his sentencing,
he was released on $15,000 bond posted by a relative, pending
appeal. (AP/Wisconsin State Journal, 12/22/89)
REV. L.G. GILSTRAP, 54, an Assemblies of God minister, was
convicted by a jury on 3 counts of child molestation and sentenced
to 33 years in prison for a string of fondling incidents in 1988
involving brothers aged 10 and 13. The older boy said Gilstrap once
tried to have sex with him in the shower. Eight men testified
during the trial that they too were molested by the minister when
they were boys. Three said they were also abused by the Sunday
school teacher, who was not tried. Gilstrap denied the charges but
corroborated their accusations against the teacher. The prosecutor
called Gilstrap the "Pied Piper of pedophilia." Gilstrap,
defrocked, started a new church, New Hope Ministries. Married, he
was a former clerk for the Georgia House of Representatives.
(Atlanta Constitution, 9/22/89)
REV. THOMAS MCLAUGHLIN, 58, was sentenced to 18 months in
prison for sexually molesting a boy, 12, after pleading guilty in
exchange for dismissal of 6 other charges. He was pastor of Church
of the Resurrection in New Albany and St. Mary Church in Marion,
Ohio. The mother of the victim asked the judge for leniency. "I was
flabbergasted," noted Logan Co. prosecutor Gerald Heaton. "I can't
recall, in my seven years of prosecuting cases, having the parent
of a victim, especially a sexual abuse victim, speak in support of
the perpetrator." The priest blamed his actions on "his disease"
rather than himself. (New Herald, 1989)
REV. RICHARD ZULA, 48, former pastor of Sts. Mary and Ann
Church in Marianna and Washington counties, PA, received 1 to 5
years in prison for sexually molesting an altar boy. He also got
5 years' probation. He was arrested in 1984 in Somerset County for
molesting a boy, 15, pleading guilty in May 1989 to 2 counts of
corrupting minors. He still faces sentencing in Washington County
after pleading guilty to a similar charge. (Scrantonian Tribune,
12/9/89)
BROTHER SALVATORE BILLANTE, 50, was sentenced to 8 years in
prison for molesting a boy, 13, as youth director at a Catholic
camp. He also worked at Corpus Christi School in San Francisco.
(Bay City News Service, 1989)
REV. ROBERT A. KULZER, 65, was convicted of molesting 2 boys
at Faith Temple Church, in Brighton. He was sentenced to 1 to 3
years in prison but it was stayed pending appeal, meaning if he can
make $10,000 cash bail he will not serve time yet. The married
grandfather was convicted of 3 counts of sodomy and 1 count each
of promoting prostitution, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare
of a child involving boys aged 12 to 16. Abuse included oral sex
with a 16 year old boy, putting a condom on a 12 year old boy
during a discussion about "the facts of life," and arranging for
a boy to have sex with a 62 year old woman in the parsonage.
Defense involved Kulzer's "good deeds," including being a
missionary in Africa. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 12/13/89)
REV. THOMAS WELSCH, 39, and his wife Jean, 40, were sentenced
to 30 years in prison with all but 6 years suspended, after
pleading guilty to 5 counts each of child sexual abuse. Originally
they were charged with 571 counts involving 3 victims. Welsch and
his wife abused twin sisters, 13, and a 17 year old girl. He was
pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Cambridge, MD for 10
years. The state's attorney praised all 3 victims for showing "a
lot of courage" in testifying against their popular pastor.
(Washington Post, 12/10/89; The Sun)
REV. JAMES A. FORSYTHE of Holy Cross Church, Overland Park,
KS, pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual relations with a
teenage boy about 20 times. Forsythe, 35, molested the boy in the
rectory of the church, where he was pastor for 2 years. He was
relieved of his duties and was receiving counseling pending the
sentencing. A therapist reported suspicions to the Kansas
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. A statement by
Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker of Kansas City, KS seemed to place
child molestation on par with extramarital sex: "God's wondrous
gift of human sexuality is made beautiful in the holy bonds of
marriage. On the other hand, it loses its beauty and its wonder
when it is offended in or outside of marriage. It is all the more
so when the offender is someone as trusted as a Catholic priest."
(Kansas City Star, 12/8,9/89)
BROTHER MARCEL CRETE, 55, at the Notre Dame Institute in
Alfred, ME, pleaded guilty to 5 counts of gross sexual misconduct
for having sex with a boy, 12, in 1983. Two other charges were
outside the statute of limitation. Crete operated a public skating
rink in an old barn. The victim picked apples in the Institute's
orchard, worked in the kitchen and spent some nights in a room
close to Crete's. Crete underwent counseling for 6 months in
Maryland. "We feel that he's doing everything that he can, he can't
do any more than he's doing," said Brother Patrick Menard, head of
the Institute. (Journal Tribune [Biddeford, ME], 9/19/89)
REV. WILLIAM MURRAY HENDRICKS JR., 50, pastor of Clay Hill
Baptist Church, pleaded guilty to 2 counts of lewd & lascivious
assault on a minor. The victim: a girl, 7, molested at the church,
parish house in 1988 where he pastored for 15 years. As a plea
bargain he agreed not to perform pastoral duties until his
probation ended. (Florida Times-Union, 9/19/89)
It took a jury only 28 minutes to find ANTONIO S. MARTINEZ,
59, a Pentecostal evangelist from Mathis, FL, guilty of aggravated
sexual assault of a girl, 12. He claimed they had a common-law
marriage. He first assaulted her when she was 11 and in 5th grade.
Her grandmother forced her into the arrangement. A doctor turned
Martinez in after Martinez asked him why she didn't become
pregnant. (Corpus-Christi Caller Times, 9/27,28/89)
REV. JIM "PAPA" CATER, 50 founder and head of Living World
Church in Dickson Co., TN was indicted on 6 new counts of child
sexual abuse, for a total of 56 charges. The crimes reportedly
occurred at the church compound during April, May and June 1989.
The state raided the church in June, taking 11 children into
protective custody, ordering him to close his illegally operating
residential child-care facility. Cater became a minister after
converting while serving time in Florida for strong-armed robbery
and forgery. His ministry specialized in helping recovering
alcoholics & addicts. Following the arrests, he was injured in the
county jail after inmates attacked him, calling him "baby raper."
(Huntsville Times, 11/9/89)
JAMES ALLEN WELLER, 31, a day care teacher and youth counselor
at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Redwood City, CA, was booked on 20
counts of child molestation., oral copulation, sexual battery and
child exploitation. A counselor in another state contacted police
after a boy reported being abused by Weller. Boys ages 13 to 17
told police he paid or tricked them into posing for pornographic
photographs over the last 3 years. Weller was also a Boy Scout
leader and coached a youth basketball team at the church. Church
officials hired him even though they knew he was a convicted felon
who had served 6 years in prison for bank fraud, and was on parole.
(San Jose Mercury News, 12/2/89)
FATHER LUCIEN MEUNIER, 74, retired from a rural parish in
British Columbia, was extradited from West Palm Beach to stand
trial on charges of molesting 6 boys in the 1950s and 1960s. At
least 7 boys and 1 girl have accused him of molestation when he
worked as a parish priest in BC and Saskatchewan, sometimes at the
church altar, in the rectory or church car. One victim said when
Meunier fondled him, he "talked of how God had given these
beautiful things...to enjoy." "Father Meunier told me that it was
God's will that I should do this for him, and that it was just like
a confessional where no one is supposed to tell anyone," the man
wrote in a sworn statement. After performing oral sex on the boy,
"he would then say short little prayers of praise." Another man
signed a statement that Meunier molested him at a table just before
the family gathered for dinner. "After saying grace and during the
course of the dinner...Meunier had me masturbate him." Meunier
pleaded no contest to 2 counts of child molestation at a South
Phoenix Catholic Church in 1975 and was ordered in 1976 to serve
1 to 3 years in prison. (Palm Beach Post, 12/2/89; 1/13/90)
Charges of sex crimes against minors were filed in Spokane Co.
against 4 members of the hedonistic sect, C.E. Hobbs Foundation of
Religious Training and Education. Two members were previously
charged with similar offenses in Pend Oreille Co. Young women
reported being sexually exploited as teenagers by adult church
members during "sharing sessions" condoned by founder Clifford E.
Hobbs. Officials are probing a transfer of the church's $10 million
complex to a family trust, to protect Hobbs from civil lawsuits or
IRS action. Hobbs, a steelworker-turned-evangelist who transferred
his Illinois church to Washington in 1976, hasn't been charged with
any crimes. (Skagit Valley Herald, 11/25/89)
FATHER WILLIAM GROVES, pastor of St. Ignatius Church in
Ignacio, Colorado, pleaded "not guilty" on Dec. 1 to 3 felony
charges related to child molestation and 2 misdemeanor charges. A
trial date was set for April. Groves, 37, represented by a public
defender, is "on retreat." He previously served in Missouri,
Nebraska, and Kansas. Hildy Ochtrup, pastoral assistant, declared:
"He's a blessing" and parishioners are "grateful to have Father
Hall [sic] here." (Chronicle of Catholic Life, 12/89)
WALTER HEROLDO SOLIS, 54, charged with molesting 3 girls at
Glendale Spanish 7th-day Adventist Church in Glendale, was killed
Nov. 29 after stepping into a traffic lane in what police believe
was a suicide. (LA Times, 12/8/89)
ROY YOUNG, 29, charged in Washington state in 3 molestation
cases, is now suspected of molesting dozens of boys in Austin, TX,
whom he befriended as a volunteer for youth programs at 2 churches.
He lived in Austin for 8 years until moving to Washington 18 months
ago, where he was busted for molesting boys in bible study groups
he formed. Police seized a collection of photographs, some
pornographic, involving as many as 65 Texas boys (ages 8 to 13).
At least 4 Texas youths say they were molested. Police regard the
photographed boys as suspected victims. Young, who is not married,
is accused of performing sex acts in front of Austin children,
showing them adult movies, giving them massages, photographing some
in the nude and providing some with alcohol. For years he took
young boys to movies, dinner, roller-skating, camping and on
motorcycle rides, buying kids watches, boots, bracelets & gifts.
He also invited youths to spend the night with him. "He gained the
confidence of the parents by pretending to be a devout Christian
who wanted to enhance the spiritual life of the kids," said a
detective. (Austin-American Statesman, 12/8/89)
REV. BRUCE RITTER, 62, founder of a $85-million-a-year
fundraising operation called Covenant House, was accused by a
benefactor of having sexual relations with him, and improperly
spending $25,000 of program money on him. The Manhattan DA is
investigating charges. After a search by Covenant House, a Texas
college professor came forward saying the accuser is his son -- a
"pathological liar" with a personality disorder. Covenant House
operates in about 15 US and Canadian cities and 4 Central American
countries, sending blue-and-white vans into the streets looking for
young runaways. Ritter has been honored recently by Ronald Reagan
and Pres. Bush, as well as being mentioned in a 1984 State of the
Union address. Ritter admits he took several trips with his
accuser, Kevin Lee Kite, spending nights alone with him. He called
that an "almost unforgivable" lapse in judgment. He says he has
shared his rooms with hundreds of runaway youths over the last 20
years. Covenant House has been criticized for ineffectiveness, and
for its "mentor" program whereby staff spend free time with kids,
inviting troubled youth home with them. "The mentors are encouraged
to take the kids home and treat them as their own children," said
spokesperson John Kells. Ritter says an audit proves Covenant House
spent "only" $9,800 to house, employ and help educate Kite, lower
than the average of $15,000 (!) usually spent on a case. About 10%
of its funds are public. (LA Times, 12/16/89; New York Times,
12/15, 21/89; AP, 12/15/89)
REV. RENE POIRER, 46, a popular priest at Sacred Heart Church
in Chapleau, Ontario, surrendered after a warrant was issued on 2
charges of sexual assault. He was known for "helping the poor" in
the Philippines, where he spent 12 years, and Haiti. (Spectator,
11/14,15/89)
A priest from Toronto was charged with sexual abuse of a girl
under 14 for an incident occurring in British Columbia. The judge
banned publication of the priest's name. (Spectator, 11/13/89)
Following the arrest of JAMES BOWEN, 51, a religious school
teacher, on 84 child pornography counts, a legislator is seeking
a review of private school rules. Florida law did not prevent Bowen
from opening his own school despite a 1966 conviction for child
molestation. Minimum qualifications for teachers & course standards
are not required. Ten percent of school children attend private
schools in Florida, most religious. (Miami Herald, 9/28/89)
REV. ANGEL CANDALARIA, 70, was charged with sexual contact
and endangering the welfare of a girl, 10, at his church in
Vineland, NJ. (Daily Journal, 11/15/89)
MICHAEL GILFORD, 36, was charged with aggravated criminal
sexual assault & criminal sexual abuse for molesting girls at a
YWCA camp in Round Lake, IL where he was visiting. (News-Sun
[Waukegan, IL], 10/21/89)
$450,000 jury award against UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF
ILLINOIS upheld by Judge Stuart Shiffman involving REV. WILLIAM
FYFFE, who molested 3 brothers in Macon, 1982. Church held
responsible because it knew Fyffe had molested boy at Taylor Ridge
parish, 1975, but still ordained him, expunged records of
counseling for molestation, transferred to community unaware of
episode. Fyffe served nearly 3 years of prison after pleading
guilty to Macon molestings. (Quad-City Times, 9/7/89; 10/18/89)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was sued by couple whose 2
sons were victims of REV. GEORGE BREDEMANN, 47, serving 1 year in
jail. Also named are priest, St. Catherine of Sienna Church. Public
was shocked by priest's light sentence in July, since he admitted
molesting boys sent to him for counseling for previous sexual
abuse, plus 15 others in past. Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien intervened
on priest's behalf, then "apologized." (Arizona Republic, 8/10/89)
Lawsuits were filed against REV. ALBERT C. MAGNUSON, pastor,
Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, MN, for molesting 3
brothers, their sister, seminary student nearly 20 years ago when
they went to him for counseling. Church, church's Northwest
Conference likewise sued for negligence. (Star Trib., 6/89)
Parents of boy molested by Newfoundland priest JAMES HICKEY
are suing Archbishop Alphonsus Penney for negligence, the 1st
lawsuit following 18 charges or convictions against Newfoundland
priests. Other victims are suing government. Hickey was sentenced
Sept. 1988 to 5 years in prison for assaulting 20 boys since 1970.
Parents say Penney knew of abuse but did nothing. (Hamilton
Spectator, 9/2/89)
Father is suing Methodist Home of New Orleans, charging that
son, 12, was molested by counselor during field trip. REV. DALE
HAGGARD pleaded guilty in Jan. 1989, was sentenced to 4 years'
probation, 500 hours community service, therapy. Haggard, Louisiana
Methodist Conference also named. Suit alleges Conference knew
Haggard "had a propensity to engage in sexual acts with young
boys." (Times-Picayune, 7/19/89)
Lawsuit against REV. THOMAS ADAMSON, Archdiocese of St. Paul,
Minneapolis & Winona Diocese, was settled out of court for
undisclosed amount. This is most recent of four suits involving
Adamson to be settled; 20 other victims are suspected. Case
involved boy, 13, molested on recreational outings. Suit charged
church with continuing to assign Adamson to parishes after learning
of sexual abuse. (St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch, 9/20/89)
Father of young child raped by HEATH TURNER, 16, childcare
worker at First United Methodist Church, Mount Dora, is suing
church for negligence. Turner convicted of assaulting child at
church with toy boat, finger, ice. Church's youth minister, RALPH
SMITH, testified on Turner's behalf, has since been charged with
indecent assault of child. Suit says church failed to check
backgrounds, supervise childcare, Sunday school classes. (Daily
Commercial, 10/10/89)
Man, 25, suing Portland Archdiocese, REV. JOHN GOODRICH for
$2.5 million in damages because priest abused for 14 years (1974-
1988) on church premises. Diocese officials knew of Goodrich's
conduct as early as 1973, according to suit. (Oregonian, 9/14/89)
Six girls sexually abused by REV. FRANCIS G. HAIGHT, head of
ex-Baptist Christian Academy, Monroe, WI, awarded total of $57,440
in court settlements. Haight serving 20 year term for molesting
children; is eligible for parole in 4 years. (8/14/89)
An undisclosed out-of-court settlement was made by the Mormon
Church to Cynthia Brown of Mesa, who accused the church of failing
to report to law enforcement authorities that a man had molested
her daughter, age 2. A July 1988 ruling by the Arizona Court of
Appeals had compelled two Mormon bishops and another church
official to testify about conversations they had with RICHARD
KENNETH RAY about molesting children. Ray, 47, was sentenced in
Sept. 1984 to 61 years in prison for molesting 5 girls, including
Brown's daughter. (Arizona Republic, 1/11/90)
In a precedent-setting decision, the Anglican church made a
secret out-of-court settlement of damages to an altar boy molested
by a parish priest 4 years ago. REV. CHARLES GRIGGS, 61, former
rector of St. Bede's, near Winnipeg, pleaded guilty in 1986 to
charges of molesting a 13 year old. He received a 2 year suspended
sentence and was ordered to receive counseling. Anglican officials
offered wide and glowing support for Griggs after his confession.
An uproar resulted when Archbishop Walter Jones allowed Griggs to
continue as rector following his conviction, saying Griggs'
confession of sin was sufficient repentance. Jones removed him from
his post a month later. Griggs left the priesthood and lives in
rural Manitoba. Molestings occurred after church services and at
the priest's home. The family says former diocese bishop Barry
Valentine had received complaints about Griggs prior to assaults
on their son, but did nothing. Bishop Valentine, now in Baltimore,
MD, says he received "only one" complaint, and immediately removed
him as director of a diocesan summer camp. the Anglican Journal
editorialized: "Similar incidents, just as serious, have received
little or no publicity because ecclesiastical authorities have
stepped in, quietly removed the priest from the parish, appeared
with him in court and arranged for psychiatric help. But although
such action protects the church's image, it gives little public
warning to priests of the consequences they face for a breach of
trust, and nothing to alert society that it has an alarming problem
in its midst." (Anglican Journal, May 1989)
The Catholic Diocese of Altoona and Johnstown, PA says turning
over documents from its "secret archive" about a molesting priest
would violate state/church separation. A man, 20, claiming REV.
FRANCIS E. LUDDY, 47, molested him when he was ages 9 to 16, asked
a Somerset Co. court to order release of the records. Luddy is on
leave of absence at a Catholic treatment home in New Mexico.
(Scranton Times, 12/19/89)
Parents of 2 Norfolk boys sexually assaulted by their Cub
Scout leader filed a $35 million lawsuit against Boy Scouts of
America & the sponsoring Mormon Church. Both groups were called
negligent for failing to check the background of Scout leader ERIC
PATRICK "RICKY" AVANT, 29, who is serving 26 years in prison after
admitting he molested the boys. Avant was convicted of similar
offenses in 1979. (Washington Post, 11/1/89)
GARY HAMBRIGHT, a Southern Baptist minister accused of
molesting dozens of children at the Presidio daycare in San
Francisco, died of AIDS Nov. 8. Between 60-102 tots were suspected
victims of child sexual abuse by Hambright and others, but 2
investigations led to dismissal of charges. Five children had
contracted chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease. The Army
daycare was closed. Parents have filed more than $60 million in
claims against the Army alleging negligence led to sexual abuse of
kids. The claims haven't been heard. Hambright died maintaining his
innocence, leaving an obituary rife with references to "my Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ." A Presidio spokesperson said none of the
children have shown signs of AIDS. (San Jose Mercury News, 1/5/90;
Orange Co. Register, 1/6/90)
Mount Cashel orphanage, a once-respected 90-year-old orphanage
in St. John's, Newfoundland, will close. Run by the Congregation
of Irish Christian Brothers, it is the subject of a government
inquiry and police investigations, leading to the charging of 9
brothers and former brothers with sexually and physically abusing
orphan boys. Nineteen other priests or brothers in Newfoundland
have also been charged or convicted of similar sex crimes. Most of
the orphanage crimes occurred in the 1970s. The inquiry is
investigating why a 1975 police probe was halted, maybe covered up.
In November, BROTHER GERARD COX was charged with 3 counts of
sexually abusing boys there; 38 orphans will be transferred out.
MSGR. WILLIAM BOONE, 65, of Corner Brook, was also charged in
November with indecent assault and gross indecency against a young
man. (Canadian Press, 11/11/89; Buffalo News, 12/3/89)
REV. VAUGHAN QUINN, flamboyant ex-director of Detroit's Sacred
Heart Rehabilitation Center for alcoholics, agreed to pay $20,000
to a woman charging he raped her while she was a patient in 1986.
Sacred Heart will also pay her $10,000 to settle a suit charging
he abused their "psychotherapist-patient and priest-penitent
relationship" to "force and coerce her" into sex. A recovering
alcoholic himself, Quinn built Sacred Heart into one of Michigan's
largest residential alcoholic treatment centers, and was socially
well-connected. Actor Mike Connors wanted to star Robert Redford
in a movie about him. The production never panned out. Quinn
resigned in 1987, and is now chaplain at Collins Bay Institution,
a medium security prison in Kingston, Ontario. (Detroit Free Press,
1/4/90)
BAD MONEY
The Vatican bank ("Institute for Religious Works") agreed to
pay $250 million to the creditors of Banco Ambrosiano. Archbishop
Paul Marcinkus, the "Pope's Banker," was accused of being an
accessory to the fraudulent bankruptcy of the bank, which collapsed
in 1982 amid mysterious deaths. In 1988, an Italian court annulled
a warrant for the arrest of Marcinkus, who had been given sanctuary
at the Vatican, saying Italy had no jurisdiction over Vatican
affairs. (LA Times, 3/10/89)
Although more than $300,000 was raised since 1973 by an
Episcopal Church in Paoli, Pennsylvania, to benefit impoverished
Pine Ridge Sioux, the tribe has not received it. Good Samaritan
Episcopal Church minister Daniel Sullivan did not ask for an
accounting of the money, given to REV. FRANCIS APPLE, a Sioux
Indian, to oversee. The money was meant to pay for a cattle herd,
a children's home, alcoholism treatment and other aid. The only
Indian family to benefit, however, appears to be Father Apple's.
He is under investigation by the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota.
At least 6 other Episcopal churches sent money to Apple.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/1/89)
A live-in maid was accused of using drugs and forgery to take
more than $800,000 from a 71 year old paraplegic widow, then
donating most of the loot to a North Carolina ministry. Fountain
of Life insisted the donations were given by the widow freely and
used for "God's work." (News & Observer, 5/2/89)
REV. AL SHARPTON was arraigned on charges of stealing $250,000
from National Youth Movement, a charitable group he launched as a
youth in New York. Sharpton was involved in the Tawana Brawley
case. (AP/Wisconsin State Journal, 6/30/89)
A Chicago circuit judge ordered 70 people who participated in
an illegal pyramid scheme to return the $12,000 each received from
the venture. South Side preacher T.L. BARRETT engineered three
pyramid schemes taking in more than $3 million between May and
November, 1988, allegedly to help the needy. (Chicago Sun Times,
6/27/89)
A Chicago pastor and his daughter were indicted by federal
authorities for using his deceased niece, who had muscular
dystrophy, to collect nearly $1 million in fraudulent life
insurance proceeds. REV. COLUMBUS EWINGS, 57, pastor of Community
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, named himself as her
beneficiary to collect money, using his daughter and others to
impersonate her after she died in 1987, and concealing her medical
condition. (Chicago Tribune, 6/28/89)
A 72 year old Indianapolis man was robbed of $2,607 at
knifepoint by a bible-toting trio who invited him to a religious
study group. (Sun, 7/11/89)
REV. JOSEPH L. DAVIS, a close friend of the mayor of East St.
Louis, was convicted of operating a major cocaine ring and
laundering drug profits through Mount Zion Baptist Church. Davis
lived luxuriously and conducted antidrug seminars for youngsters.
His congregation stood behind him. (AP/Clinton Herald, 7/22/89)
A civil suit by 9 members of the House of Prayer at Zebulon
charge that leaders enriched themselves by requiring members to
give the church their paychecks. Pastor CHARLES E. SMITH and
EVANGELINE SMITH collected more than $600,000 in 2 years to buy
real estate, according to the suit. (Mrs. Smith served a month in
jail along with 12 other female church members for assaulting 3 of
the plaintiffs because the pastor had seduced them.) (News &
Observer [Raleigh, NC], 7/7/89)
REV. ROY GREENHILL was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in
prison for swindling an 83 year old man out of $40,000 in a scam
to publish a revised version of the bible. He bilked Georgians and
South Carolinians of nearly $400,000. (Atlanta Constitution,
7/21/89)
REV. JOSEPH OCTAVIO TYE is charged with embezzling as much as
$500,000 from an Arizona church, but supporters staged letter-
writing campaigns and rallies to protest the popular priest's
arrest. (Arizona Daily Star, 8/9/89)
REV. EUGENE PROFETA was released from county jail in New York
after serving part of a 6 month sentence for filing a false tax
return and witness tampering. Profeta was ordered to pay $26,000
in back taxes too. Jessica Hahn had sought help from him after
being raped by Jim Bakker. His congregation at the Full Gospel
Tabernacle Church on Long Island continues to support him. (New
York Times, 7/22/89)
DAVID and JAMES TAGGART, PTL aides, were convicted of evading
$525,000 in income taxes on money they took from PTL. (New York
Times, 7/26/89)
Richard Dortch, former VP of the PTL Club, was sentenced to
8 years in prison and fined $200,000 for bilking followers of
millions. Fraud involved "lifetime partnerships" that Jim Bakker
and Dortch sold at Heritage USA. A one-time $1,000 donation
supposedly entitled partners to 3 nights' free lodging each year,
but partnerships were oversold and the hotels were never built or
were not completed. (New York Times, 8/26/89)
A Missouri couple who sealed their deals with prayer were
charged with bilking about 75 investors, many of them older people
who handed over life savings, of $3 to $5 million. PAUL and JUDITH
BROCK of Neosho were also named in a civil suit by some investors.
(Kansas City Times, 8/8/89)
ROBERT W. CAULEY, an Avon, Ohio priest, pleaded no contest to
reduced charges of stealing $40,000. He was originally accused of
stealing more than $100,000 from two elderly women (claiming he
would safeguard or invest their egg nests). The women said they had
not come forward because they did not want to disgrace the church.
(Plain Dealer, 8/22/89)
REV. MERTON PEKRUL, pastor of Family Bible Church, Mesa, AZ,
was fined $100,000, ordered to pay $398,000 to 8 victims and
sentenced to a year and a half in prison for his role in a $400,000
gold-digging scheme. He was also fined $58,000 by the Arizona
Corporation Commission for various securities violations. He
pleaded no contest to reduced charges of abetting an illegal
enterprise, in exchange for testifying against his partner. Pekrul
still has defenders, even among some of his victims. In the 1970s,
Pekrul's ministry took the Evangelical Free Church in Wisconsin
Rapids, WI $200,000 in debt. (Tempe Daily News Tribune, 7/15,29/89;
Arizona Republic, 8/19/89)
Community Churches, a fundamentalist church in Glendale, CA,
improperly spent $117,787 earmarked for low-income housing, then
tried to sell the building for a huge profit. HUD found that funds
for the 150-unit high rise had paid officers of the church and had
been used to purchase 2 vans for church events. HUD reached a
settlement with the church on misspent money, not specified.
AP/Miami Herald, 8/28/89)
An Oakland public school payroll clerk was accused of using
her bible study group in a scheme to embezzle more than $24,000
from the district. MARIE LOUISE BELL was charged with grand theft
for overpaying janitors, who kicked back money to her. (LA Times,
8/27/89)
Bank robber JAMES HATCH said he robbed a bank of $2,500 in
June in order to donate it to the "Lord's Covenant Church," which
teaches "that the Federal Reserve System was causing the collapse
of the American economy." After Hatch had donated $7,000 in cash,
he said a church member called and urged him to rob a bank.
(Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 9/89)
Three men with ties to Olivet Nazarene University bilked
friends and associates of $1 million in a phony investment scheme,
charged Neil Hartigan, Illinois Attorney General. Hartigan said
they "shamelessly misused the good will of the people of the church
and the community." (AP/Quad-City Times, 9/29/89)
A jury convicted PTL leader Jimmy Bakker of all 24 counts of
mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors said he diverted
$3.7 million of the $158 million sent in for PTL partnerships for
his own use. He received 10 years in prison.
The Eternal Crown Ministries run by REV. EDGAR HARTIGAN and
partner CHARLES GOLLAHON was termed "the most convoluted labyrinth
that I have ever seen as part of a plot to defraud people" by a
banking attorney. A mansion in Dayton, Ohio housed a church,
production company, broadcasting school and modeling agency,
serving as a front so the men could take advantage of its tax-
exempt status for their businesses. The men have several unpaid
loans through a bank in West Alexandria, almost causing the bank
to fold. Hartigan pleaded guilty to aiding in the misappropriation
of bank funds. A civil lawsuit is in progress. (Dayton Daily News,
10/29/89)
PHILIP SHIRL, who operates Lincoln Ministerial Alliance, was
charged with embezzling federal funds for emergency food and
shelter. Shirl is accused of using $1,654.50 for personal use.
(Northwest Arkansas Morning News, 10/29/89)
Teresa Brown, who formerly ran a notorious bordello in San
Antonio, won a civil lawsuit against three Christians who recruited
her to their church, then swindled her of a number of her homes.
A jury awarded her $172,500. One defendant, Amos Villanueva, was
found guilty of swindling another woman of her home. (San Antonio
Light, 11/8/89)
A building contractor who filed bankruptcy in 1988 says he
wants to raise $20-$30 million in public contributions to open
"HeavensBank," a national bank whose profits would aid TV
ministries such as Jimmy Swaggart. Charles Hopkins, of Indiana,
admits he knows nothing about banking but plans to raise $1 million
a day for a month using pledge cards mailed to Indiana churches.
(AP/Lafayette Journal & Courier, 11/12/89)
The pastor of Airport Baptist Church in Des Moines resigned
after telling his congregation that he took an unspecified amount
of church money. No legal action was planned against REV. DAVID
CORTNER. (Clinton Herald, 11/15/89)
A judge called SISTER ELIZABETH MANHERTZ, 71, "despicable" for
stealing $3,441 from deceased residents of a nursing home in
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The nun pocketed money she was supposed
to return to relatives by forging signatures. The home she
administered was found to be dirty, cockroach-ridden and
inadequately staffed. (Ottawa Citizen, 11/3/89)
The Indianapolis Securities Commission is spending half its
time and resources looking into complaints against religious
groups, according to Securities Commissioner Mark E. Maddox. The
state agency issued a cease-and-desist order against REV. LARRY
LILLY, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Avon, Indiana, stopping
sales of unregistered bonds. Church members said $1.6 million is
missing and they question Rev. Lilly's lifestyle of sports cars and
private planes. The televangelist left a church in Virginia
$350,000 in debt. Other action was pending against Fairhaven Church
of Chesterton for selling unregistered bonds and promissory notes,
and against a British West Indies group selling unregistered
securities to members of Amish communities in southeastern Indiana.
(Indianapolis Star, 11/11/89)
MSGR. EUGENE F. HOTCHKISS, 68, was convicted in Oshkosh, WI
of embezzling more than $46,000 from donations, collection
envelopes and fees to his church over a four year period.
(Milwaukee Sentinel, 11/10/89)
REVS. SAM JOHNSON and JOHN WESLEY FLETCHER, two associates of
Jim Bakker, were indicted for lying to a federal grand jury about
$10,000 in hush money paid to silence Jessica Hahn. (USA Today,
12/5/89)
The Roman Catholic Church sent the mayor of Levico Terme,
Italy a bill for $22,000 for a series of special Masses celebrated
since 1630, requested during the plague!
The US Supreme Court refused to overturn rulings forcing
Louisiana-based Jimmy Swaggart Ministries to pay California
$183,000 in back taxes.
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