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UPDATE, 3pm Tuesday: 49-year-old Rev. Herman Lewis appeared in Spokane Co. Superior Court this afternoon on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping. According to court documents, Lewis told detectives he went to the Shari's Restaurant near Indiana and Monroe to meet a woman to have sex with.
Lewis also told police he had been living "a double life" since turning 19 by having sex with prostitutes and regularly using crack cocaine and PCP.

UPDATE, 9:30pm Spokane County Jail officials say Herman Lewis is still at the jail, but in lockdown because he was considered combative and a threat to himself and officers when he was booked this afternoon.
According to his resume, Rev. Herman Lewis Sr. began his career as pastor near his hometown of Winnie, Texas. Between 1980 and 2003 Lewis lived in Austin and Galveston. He was a chaplain for a county jail, a local hospital, and helped build a new baptist church for 400 members. In 2003, he joined the People's Institutional Baptist Church in Seattle. Nothing on his resume has been verified.
Lewis recently reported that he left an $80,000 managerial job at a Seattle Holiday Inn to become the pastor of Spokane's Morning Star Baptist Church last year. The congregation recently moved to a building on West Rowan.
Lewis is charged with Unlawful Imprisonment and Assault.

UPDATE, 3:30pm Monday: Members of the Morning Star Baptist Church confirm 49-year-old Herman Lewis, arrested this morning after leading Spokane Police on a chase this morning, is their senior pastor. Lewis is charged with unlawful imprisonment and two counts of assault. He's now in the Spokane County Jail.

SPOKANE -- One man has been arrested after a short pursuit that ended at Division and Indiana.Officers are investigating a possible kidnapping at Shari's at Indiana an Monroe. According to police, someone tried to stop the kidnapper, and that person was assaulted by the suspect.
The suspect then fled to a nearby McDonalds. Police found his silver corvette in the parking lot. The suspect put his car in reverse striking two officers, then hit a police car.
Police say the suspect also rammed a patrol car several times. A short pursuit followed.
The man was arrested at a stop light at Indiana and Division. Police used a taser to subdue him.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment and for a mental evaluation.

http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstori....2983c143.html

沙文

Assistant pastor pleaded guilty to raping teen, other charges
By JIM SABIN
Advocate City Editor

HEBRON -- A family has sued two pastors, their church and others a year and a half after one of the pastors pleaded guilty to sex charges against juvenile sisters.
The girls, now 17 and 19, and family members have filed a lawsuit in Licking County Common Pleas Court against Lonnie J. Aleshire Jr., Lonnie J. Aleshire Sr. and Licking Baptist Church. Aleshire Jr. pleaded guilty in November 2005 to a count of rape, six counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of sexual imposition.
The problems didn't end there, the family claims.
"There's been an ongoing continuance or occurrence of events between my clients and the church," attorney Ross Gillespie, of Farlow & Associates, in Dublin, said on the family's behalf. "They didn't feel like they got an adequate response or any response from the defendants. They felt they were ostracized in the church community."
Aleshire Jr. was an associate pastor who employed the younger sister as a baby sitter and carried on what prosecutors called a two-year love affair with her. He also raped the older sister in a back hallway at the church in June 2004.
His father, Aleshire Sr., was the senior pastor at the church. The lawsuit also names American Baptist Churches of Ohio, based in Granville, and American Baptist Churches of USA, based in Pennsylvania, as well as the Revs. Lawrence Swain and Robert Cassady, of ABC Ohio.
Cassady declined comment when reached at the Granville office. No listing could be found for Aleshire Sr., and the church's number has been disconnected.
The church's Web site lists "Lonny Aleshire" as its pastor, but in the upcoming sermons section, none are listed after August 2006.
The lawsuit claims the organizations, Aleshire Sr. and the church did not take action against Aleshire Jr. and instead allowed him to conduct a sermon from his jail cell. The plaintiffs also claim the church and Aleshire Sr. made false and defamatory statements about the family between January 2005 and December 2006.
The lawsuit includes proposed damages totaling $3.8 million, but Gillespie said those are general numbers.
"We've requested a jury in this case, and we expect a jury to decide the amount of the award," Gillespie said. "We have tried to resolve my clients' claims informally. We didn't have any success. ... They have indicated that they are not interested or willing to negotiate at this time."
The defendants have 28 days from the time the lawsuit was served to respond, Gillespie said. Though the case was filed April 17, defendants weren't served until Monday and Tuesday.
Cassady said Columbus attorney James Brudney is representing the church. Brudney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Jim Sabin can be reached at (740) 328-8821 or [email protected].

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/ap ... WS01/704270350/1002

沙文

Woman: Blame devil for infant in microwave
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A woman blames the devil, and not her husband, for severely burning their infant daughter in a microwave, a Texas television station reported.

Eva Marie Mauldin said Satan compelled her 19-year-old husband, Joshua Royce Mauldin, to microwave their daughter May 10 because the devil disapproved of Joshua's efforts to become a preacher.
"Satan saw my husband as a threat," Eva Mauldin told Houston television station KHOU-TV.
A grand jury indicted Joshua Mauldin last week on child injury charges after hearing evidence that he placed the two-month-old in a motel microwave for 10 to 20 seconds. (Watch cops react to burned baby Video)
The infant, Ana Marie, remains hospitalized. She suffered burns on the left side of her face and to her left hand, police said.
Police said Joshua Mauldin told them he put Ana Marie in the microwave because he was under stress. Eva Maudlin denied it.
"He would never do anything to hurt her. He loves her," she said.
She is hoping to be reunited with her daughter, but Child Protective Services is working to have the parental rights severed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/20/baby.in.microwave.ap/index.html

沙文

May 19, 2007

A former youth minister was charged with numerous sex crimes yesterday involving two underage boys who were members of his youth group.
David Baird, 45, of Penn Hills, was charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviant intercourse, sexual assault, two counts of indecent assault, indecent exposure, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.
Police said Mr. Baird had a variety of sexual encounters with two boys, aged 10 and 14, at his home while he worked as youth pastor for a Covenant Church of Pittsburgh in Wilkinsburg.
Mr. Baird worked for the church from January 1994 to 2004 as both a youth pastor and evangelical pastor.
During that time, Mr. Baird would invite children to his home on Orchard Drive, where the alleged sexual assaults occurred in 1999 and 2000.
Mr. Baird was released on bond yesterday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07139/787460-56.stm

沙文

5/25/2007, 1:07 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press                

MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. (AP) — A Baptist minister was accused of using the identity of his church's secretary-treasurer to charge up to $28,000 on two credit cards.
The Rev. Raymond Lee Clayton Sr., pastor of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church, was charged with falsely acquiring and using a credit card, forgery and related offenses.
Clayton, 43, charged $25,000 to a U.S. Bancorp credit card issued in his name and the name of Patricia Tomedi, the church's secretary-treasurer, and $3,334 to a Staples credit card issued in Tomedi's name — using her Social Security number, police said.
Tomedi, 82, told police she initially confronted Clayton about the Staples credit card and he told her he was responsible for the charges, police said.
Earlier this month, Tomedi said she received a call from a U.S. Bank representative informing her that $25,000 in charges were past due, and that a Discover representative also called to ask her if she had applied for a credit card in her name and Clayton's name, police said.
Clayton was arraigned Tuesday and remained in the Northumberland County Prison on $10,000 bail Friday. Authorities said they did not know whether he had hired an attorney.

http://www.pennlive.com/newsflas ... &storylist=penn

沙文

A jury nearly deadlocks, but then issues a verdict against Richard Sweat.

After 10 hours of deliberation, a nearly deadlocked jury found a Jacksonville youth pastor guilty Friday on two counts of possessing child pornography on his computer.
The jury came to its decision around 6 p.m., but just hours earlier, at 3:30 p.m., a jury foreman told U.S. District Judge Henry Adams that the jury was split and unable to come to a decision in the case against Richard Steven Sweat, former youth pastor at Lake Shore Baptist Church on Blanding Boulevard.
Adams urged the jury to come to a consensus and asked those in the minority, regardless of the side, to reconsider.
According to court documents filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Henry, Sweat's wife found pornographic files on the computer of their Orange Park home in September 2005. Her father, the senior pastor at Lake Shore, brought in a computer expert to extract the materials, and eventually the FBI was contacted.
Sweat's attorney, Mitchell Stone, argued that his client was framed by his wife and father-in-law to aid her position in a potential divorce. Stone said other people had access to the computer.
Sweat, 35, was arrested in November and was free on his own recognizance. He was scheduled to go on trial May 14, but the case was postponed after he went to the hospital with heart problems.
Stone said he's disappointed the jury found Sweat guilty, despite what he called a lack of evidence. He said he thinks some jurors might have been convinced to change their minds because of the long deliberations.
"Whenever you have such long proceedings, it takes a toll on juries. They get tired and often they are swayed by other members to change their decisions. It's unfortunate and we will appeal," Stone said.
The jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday and at least seven hours Friday. If the jury couldn't come to a decision, a hung jury would have led to a retrial.
Adams remanded Sweat into custody of the U.S. marshals while he awaits sentencing because possession of child pornography is considered a violent crime under the law. Sweat will be sentenced Aug. 23. Each guilty count carries a five-year minimum and a 15-year maximum sentence.
The case deeply divided the Westside church with dozens of Lake Shore members sitting on opposite sides of the courtroom during the trial. Heated words were exchanged between members after the verdict.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052607/met_172900943.shtml

[ 本帖最後由 沙文 於 2007-5-27 05:18 編輯 ]

沙文

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A former pastor was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for receiving child pornography videos he bought over the Internet, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
David Waser, 58, former pastor of Newark's Second Church of Christ, ordered 11 child pornography videos in 2006 by sending a $130 money order to an address listed on an Internet advertisement, authorities said. The ad had been posted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service as part of an investigation into trafficking of child pornography.
A postal inspector who posed as a letter carrier delivered the videos to Waser's home in Newark, about 30 miles east of Columbus, and obtained a search warrant immediately afterward. The inspector found the package opened and one of the videos inserted into a VCR, the government said.
Church members removed Waser from office after his arrest.
Waser pleaded guilty in March to receiving child pornography. He faced federal charges because the videotapes were sent across state lines.
U.S. District Court Judge George Smith on Wednesday also ordered Waser to register as a sex offender after serving the 10-year prison term and to receive treatment for sexual addiction.
Waser's wife, Judy, 54, is awaiting trial on child pornography charges. Prosecutors allege she knew the videos were coming to the home, something her attorney has denied.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/17332504.htm

沙文

Counseling with teenage girl led to a relationship

By Titan Barksdale    JOURNAL REPORTER         Saturday, June 9, 2007

The pastor of Emmanuel Apostolic Church was convicted yesterday of several sexual-offense charges involving a teenage girl who was a member of his church. He was sentenced in Forsyth Superior Court to at least 20 years in prison.
What began as counseling sessions between the Rev. Gregory Michael Butler Sr., 46, and a 14-year-old girl devolved into a sexual relationship with the sex acts taking place in his Cadillac, hotel rooms, and even inside his church, a prosecutor said yesterday during the trial.
The names of the girl, who is now 17 and her family members are not being published because the Winston-Salem Journal does not publish the names of victims in cases involving sex crimes.
Butler faced 13 counts of statutory sex offense, two counts of statutory rape and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. The jury deliberated for most of the day before returning its verdict. Butler was found guilty of all the charges.
Butler, wearing a tan suit, showed no emotion when he was sentenced. When Judge L. Todd Burke asked him if he wanted to say anything, Butler replied, “No, sir.”
Prosecutor Pansy Glanton said that Butler committed the sexual offenses against the girl between June 2004 and September 2005. The girl was 14 when the relationship started, and had turned 15 by the time it ended.
Butler was arrested in 2006, after the girl reported the relationship to a school counselor.
The 12-member jury heard the graphic details of the relationship during the five-day trial.
The relationship was confusing to the girl, who Glanton said had developed a crush on Butler. She eventually fell in love with him.
The girl had a troubled background. She was molested when she was 7-years-old and wanted a father figure in her life. Butler filled that role, Glanton said. Butler offered to give the girl weekly counseling sessions after she fainted during a panic attack at church. The girl’s mother, who was also involved in a relationship with Butler, agreed to the sessions. The mother demanded that Butler stop the sessions after he announced to church members he would not marry her. Butler told Glanton in court that he wanted to “encourage self-esteem” by taking the girl to get her nails done, buying her gifts, taking her out to eat, and sending her Valentine’s Day cards signed with the pet name she gave him, “Daddy D.”
The girl responded by sending Butler text messages saying that she loved him. She kissed him on the cheek and rubbed his leg during one of at least two trips to Hickory, according to testimony.
The girl “had so many issues when this man came into her life, and he took advantage of those issues,” Glanton said during her closing argument. “He was her first love, and he led her to believe he loved her.”
When Butler was questioned by his attorney, Teresa Stewart, he admitted that he stayed with the girl in a hotel in Hickory but denied having a sex with her. He later told Glanton that he believed that the hotel stays were normal because he “embraced (the girl) as a daughter.”
Forensic experts found no DNA from Butler to link him to a crime. They tested two pairs of panties and a church fan that Winston-Salem police found in his Cadillac. Blood on the panties and the fan matched the girl’s blood, forensic experts said.
Butler said he did not know how the panties got in the trunk of his car. He said because he ended the relationship with the girl’s mother, she pushed her daughter to bring false charges against him.
Stewart said during closing arguments that Butler should have ended the relationship when the girl developed a crush. But as a pastor, she said, he wanted to continue to try to help the girl.
Burke consolidated the charges into two counts of statutory rape and one count of statutory sex offense. He then sentenced Butler to a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 24 years and 9 months. He must serve 20 years before he is eligible for release.
After the sentencing, about 30 supporters of Butler walked out the courtroom, many away wiping tears. Some supporters were members of Butler’s church, which is on Vargrave Street, and has about 35 members.
The girl is still in therapy, and has missed her high-school exams, Glanton said.
“She now has to learn how to have a normal relationship with males and to have faith in ministers,” Glanton said. “I think she said it best when she said she didn’t know whether to be a woman or a child in that relationship.”

http://www.journalnow.com/servle ... p;cid=1173351554660

沙文

July 05, 2007 2:33PM

An associate pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church of Slidell was arrested Monday and booked Tuesday on two counts of aggravated sex crimes and 47 counts of possession of child pornography.
Deputies obtained warrants to search the home of James Griffin, 67, after they began an investigation about three weeks ago, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said Thursday.
Upon searching Griffin's personal computer, investigators found 50 pictures, downloaded from the Internet, involving child pornography, according to Strain. They are searching computers he used at Immanuel Baptist and Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Slidell, where he formerly did volunteer work.
Griffin remains in jail on a $500,000 bond for each of the two aggravated sex crime charges, Strain said.
http://blog.nola.com/tpnorthshor ... _in_slidell_bo.html

沙文

原帖由 Step.King 於 2007-7-15 19:52 發表
N-1 今次我仲唔拆到老大你崩牙?

呢個topic 以後應改為N-4000

緊係唔得啦，係您post錯地方。本題的確係N-1，如您要報道N-4000應另開新題。駛唔駛我幫您分拆移文呀？

==================================================================================================
政府效率低 牧師坐牢還拿薪水
2007-07-05 13:54:13  來源：國際線上專稿  編輯：李智超   

國際線上專稿：據英國媒體7月5日報道， 一位教區牧師因猥褻、侵犯多名兒童而被判監禁。可笑的是，英國聖公會仍然給在監獄中服刑的他發著每年2萬英鎊的薪水。該牧師入獄2個月後，這件事情才被揭發。
戴維·史密斯，今年52歲，是克利文頓市薩默塞特郡聖約翰大教堂的牧師，曾猥褻了2名男孩。5月，戴維·史密斯因為一系列對兒童的性侵害事件被指控，獲刑5年半。
據英國聖公會的官員說，戴維·史密斯牧師的免職因為法律程式的原因而延遲了。不過手續會在最近幾天辦理完畢。
巴斯主教和韋爾斯主教的教區發言人約翰·安德魯斯牧師說："我們會遵從法律的規定並儘快執行。我們也很著急，相信這件事情會儘快解決的。"(清川)
http://big5.chinabroadcast.cn/gate/big5/gb.cri.cn/14558/2007/07/05/[email protected]

沙文

A fundamentalist church pastor had sex with two of his teenage daughters to educate them on how to be good wives, a South Australian court has heard.
The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named, was sentenced in the SA District Court to eight and a half years jail after pleading guilty to seven counts each of incest and unlawful sexual intercourse.
The court heard that the man had sex with his daughters for nearly a decade from 1991 when they were aged 13 and 15 at the family property.
The sex took place at various locations including in a shearer's shed, a paddock, on the back of a ute and, on one occasion, at the girls' grandparents house.
The man told the court the sex was not about fulfilling his desires but about teaching his daughters how to behave for their husbands when they eventually married, as dictated in scripture.
In sentencing, Judge David Lovell said the misrepresentation of scripture used to justify the abuse of the girls "defied belief", and that he had "hypocritically betrayed" his religion and principles.
"You said the acts were about learning about sex rather than engaging in the acts of sex," Judge Lovell said.
"I do not accept that.
"You treated your daughters as your property ... using them to satisfy and gratify your sexual urges."
Judge Lovell gave full credit for the man's guilty pleas, saying he was genuinely remorseful and had a good chance of rehabilitation as his wife and the church remained supportive.
The man will be eligible for parole in four years.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Natio ... /1188067267416.html

[ 本帖最後由 沙文 於 2007-9-4 02:53 編輯 ]

沙文

A spokesman for the Church of God's international offices in Cleveland, Tennessee, says Cook has been placed on administrative leave.

A high-profile pastor from Kanawha County says he's one of the sexual assault victims of another pastor -- and he's written a letter to the public.
Pastor Mike Lewis of the New Life Center in Cedar Grove sent a letter to local media outlets Tuesday night. In the letter, he says he was one of the victims of Sandy Martin Cook more than ten years ago when he was a teenager.
Cook was and still is the pastor at the Shrewsbury Church of God.
Cook was arrested by West Virginia State Police on Monday. He's charged with 3 counts of sexual abuse by a person of trust, and 44 counts of sexual assault in the 3rd degree.
During his arraignment in Kanawha County magistrate court, Cook said, "I'm scared to death."
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged crimes happened around 1994 -- and so far, three alleged victims have come forward in the case. All were between 13-16 years old at the time.
One victim stated he developed a close relationship with Cook -- and that Cook told him it was "normal for father figures to perform/receive sexual acts on each other and that the performing of such acts was part of growing up."
Another victim told police Cook performed sexual acts on him during two sleepovers at Cook's house, according to the criminal complaint. That victim told his parents, who reported the matter to the church; but the matter was later withdrawn during a meeting at church in Chesapeake "for conflicting reasons" and was not reported to police at the time.
A trooper verified the victim's statement about the meeting and the fact that the issue was withdrawn.
Investigators say the suspect's actions are similar in each case.
"Each of the 3 victims live separate lives and one lives in another state," as stated in the criminal complaint. "However, each of their allegations provide details of the intricacies of Cook's conduct that are exactly the same."
Police say they first learned of this case when one of the alleged victims came forward on August 3. According to investigators, the first person led them to Mike Lewis, and he led to the third victim in the case.
The criminal complaint states that a majority of the alleged crimes happened either at Cook's home in Belle, or in one of Cook's cars.
Cook is currently out of jail on $150,000 bond. WSAZ has also learned that he works full-time as the head at the the cardiac cath lab at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) Memorial Hospital.
State Police say more victims may be out there. They urge you to come forward if you have any more information in this case. Trooper M.J. Napier is handling the investigation: (304) 558-7778.

PASTOR'S LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY:
Here is a letter Pastor Mike Lewis wrote to the public after he says he was sexually abused by Sandy Cook more than ten years ago:

From the Office of Pastor Michael A. Lewis
Senior Pastor of New Life Center
Cedar Grove, WV 25039

To Whom It May Concern,

Four weeks ago my world was rocked when State Police investigators contacted me concerning allegations of sexual abuse by a local Church of God pastor. My name was given to investigators by another victim who had suspicions that I may have suffered the same abuse that he did over a decade ago. For thirteen years I have hidden this secret in the deepest part of my being, never to let it out. Over these past years I have shared this secret with no one. Not my wife, parents, family, or leaders. I assumed that my abuse had been limited to me alone and that no one else was suffering what I suffered. My assumptions were wrong.
I have since learned that multiple victims have come forward seeking justice for what was taken from them by a person who was suppose to protect and guide. I now know that I was not alone and I have a right & responsibility to speak up. I would have taken this secret to my grave, but when Investigators approached me and asked the question… ‘Are you also a victim’, I could not lie. The fact is, I am a victim of sexual abuse, suffered at the hands of this so called pastor who is in serious need of help.
My abuse started around the age of thirteen and continued for around four years. I was too afraid to speak up or speak out. I was told by this so called leader that these things must happen to me in order for God to use my life to make a difference. As a young boy with no church background and not many possessions, I was suckered into this web of lies and deceit. As I matured I realized that his excuses for abuses were all trumped up lies and that my relationship with God was between me and God alone, and did not require a third person.
The realization of the fact that this persons sexual abuses were brought to the attention of other local Church of God pastors, as well as the State Overseer of the Church of God, and that it was swept under a rug and not reported to the authorities is simply appalling. To think that the abuse I suffered and the victims that came after me should not have been, had the Church of God denomination followed the law and reported this first allegation in 1994. They failed to follow the law and I stand here today, with many other victims asking why.
I give praise to God because unlike many victims, my abuse did not stop me from reaching my goals. God has called me to His work and I am thankful that God brought me through the difficulties I weathered as a young teen. My life is not messed up. I have the greatest wife & family on the planet, the greatest church family and the greatest circle of friends anyone could ask for, and it is all because I stayed focused on Jesus. The abuse that I suffered was simply a trick of enemy to try and stop the plans that God has for my life – and he failed, and failed miserably!
I was not the first victim to come forward in this investigation, and I will not be the last. My sincere prayers are with the other victims and their families today. I know what you are going through and I encourage you to speak up if you haven’t already. The way I view this situation is simple – the hard part is over, meaning that the abuse is behind us. He can never touch us again, and it is our responsibility to make sure that he can never touch anyone else again either.

Seeking Justice,
Pastor Mike

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/9576087.html

沙文

2007年09月08日 08:19

    美國加州聖地亞哥天主教會7日同意向144起神父性侵害事件受害人支付1.98億美元的賠償。據報道，這一協議是主管教區、律師和提出指稱的受害人經過兩天的談判達成的。協議為4年多來的法律糾紛畫上了句號。
     據英國廣播公司報道，這次的賠償是類似賠償中規模排在第二位的一起。今年7月，洛杉磯天主教會同意向1940年代以來的508名神職人員性侵害事件的受害者支付6.6億美元。此前有報道稱，從2002年以來，僅加利福利尼亞州一地，便有將上千人以受到神職人員性侵犯為由，向天主教教會提起民事訴訟。 2004年2月，一份天主教教會委託進行的調查報告說，過去50年當中，美國有4000多名神父被控性侵犯。
    在6個月前，在42起性侵害指控即將在民事法庭開始審理之際，聖地亞哥教區提出了破產保護要求。當地大主教在協議達成後發表的一份聲明中說，教區一直希望通過“公平賠償”了結官司，同時也希望維持侍奉和教會活動。
    聲明還說，希望協議讓受害者告別過去，希望他們多年的痛苦得到慰藉，他們將為此祈禱。
http://big5.ce.cn/xwzx/gjss/gdxw ... 0908_12832989.shtml

沙文

Cleric From Darien Admits Stealing Church's Money

NEW HAVEN - A former Darien pastor pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of church money 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 in federal court to interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud. He set up hidden accounts that he called the Bridget Fund and the Don Bosco account to commit the fraud.
"A religious leader who secretly uses contributions made to a church for his own personal benefit destroys the confidence and trust of everyone who donates money to a religious institution or charity," said U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor.  "Prosecutions of this kind of serious criminal conduct should serve as a message that no one is above the law."
Investigators working for the Bridgeport Diocese last year said that Fay, 56, used church money for limousines, stays at top hotels around the world, jewelry and clothing from Italy. He also bought a condominium in Florida with another man. Federal investigators said that Fay also spent money to buy a condominium in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors said that Fay took between $1 million and $2.5 million over seven years, but the priest has disputed that estimate. He admitted to taking between $400,000 and $1 million.
Fay, dressed in a dark suit with a bandage on his hand, said that he has undergone chemotherapy for prostate cancer but learned Wednesday that the treatment was not working.
"It's my understanding, your honor, that I used church monies, parish monies for means and for needs other than means and needs of the parish or the parishioners of the parish," Fay said. "My understanding is that it's by fraud."
The Bridgeport Diocese last year released its investigators' report on the priest's lavish lifestyle.
Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who ordered the investigation by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, said that he was shocked and angered by the findings.
Lori has faced criticism for his handling of the scandal, especially when it emerged that another priest and the church bookkeeper had hired a private investigator to look into Fay. The pair said they decided to hire the investigator after they met with Lori, and Fay was not removed, according to the report.
Lori said that after he was made aware of potential financial misconduct, he took swift action to stop Fay from using church credit cards, notified civil authorities and forced his resignation.
The church report, which was limited to the past six years, calculated the "potential financial loss" at $1.4 million.
Fay, pastor since 1991, told church officials that the money was used to help needy parishioners and for other legitimate church-related expenses. The report acknowledged that some of the money might have been used for legitimate expenses, but said that Fay failed to document his claims.
Fay also charged $500 fees when he gave lectures.
Fay spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination, according to the church report.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Dec. 4. He also must make restitution. Fay was released on $50,000 bond.
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-2appriest0913.artsep13,0,3045860.story

沙文

Saturday, September 22, 2007
By Tommy Witherspoon

Less than a week before Kari Lynn Baker’s death, she found crushed pills in her husband’s briefcase and confided to a friend that she thought Matt Baker was trying to kill her, the close friend said Friday.
“She was kind of panicked about the whole situation when she found those crushed pills. No. Really, she was a lot panicked,” Shae Dickey, who taught with Kari Baker at Spring Valley Elementary School in Hewitt, told the Tribune-Herald. “She suspected that he was having an affair, and she told me she thought he was trying to kill her.”
Those fears are included in the affidavit filed locally Friday to support Matt Baker’s arrest. By sundown, the 36-year-old former Central Texas pastor had turned himself in to authorities at the Kerr County Jail.
Since Kari Baker’s death April 8, 2006, — initially ruled suicide by overdose — Dickey says she has replayed her conversation with Kari many times in her head, including her friend’s worries concerning her husband.
“And every time I play it back, I wish I would have done something differently,” Dickey said. “I wish I would have told someone.”
Dickey said Friday she wasn’t surprised to learn that Hewitt police investigator Ben Toombs and Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon had obtained a warrant for Matt Baker’s arrest, charging him with murdering Kari Baker, the 31-year-old mother of his two daughters, and making it appear as though she killed herself with a lethal cocktail of sleeping pills and alcohol.
Like others who knew her, Dickey said she never believed Kari Baker killed herself.
Matt Baker, former pastor of the 75-member Crossroads Baptist Church near Lorena and former chaplain at the Waco Center for Youth, has since moved with his two girls to Kerrville, where his parents live. He has been working as a substitute teacher and a church youth minister, officials say.
Baker surrendered himself at the Kerr County Jail at 4:20 p.m. Authorities will bring Baker back to McLennan County Jail, where bond will be set. His daughters remain with his parents in Kerr County, officials said.
The arrest warrant affidavit Toombs filed alleges that Matt Baker used an over-the-counter sleep medication and alcohol on his wife to “render her defenseless,” then used a pillow or another object to suffocate her.
Baker’s attorneys, Gerald Villarrial and James Rainey, said they advised Baker to turn himself in at the Kerr County Jail.
“We can’t make any comment because we don’t know anything right now,” Rainey said Friday afternoon before Baker’s arrest. “We are just going to have to wait until after they arrest our client to find out what happened and then determine the next course of action.”

Keeping steady pressure
Kari Baker’s parents, Linda and James Dulin, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baker in July 2006, alleging he killed her and made her death appear to be a suicide. They have kept steady pressure on Hewitt police officials to keep investigating their daughter’s death and elicited the help of the Texas Rangers in their quest.
“My husband and I have been waiting for this day for a year and a half,” Linda Dulin said. “We always believed that we would see this happen. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon. This guy makes Chuck Norris look like a wimp. I truly think this is a man of honor and courage, and he truly moved a couple of mountains to make this happen.”
She declined comment when asked about the efforts of Hewitt Police Department investigators, with whom Justice of the Peace Billy Martin conferred before declaring Kari Baker’s death a suicide. Only this week did Judge Martin, following an inquest, change his ruling in the death from suicide to undetermined.
Toombs acknowledged Friday that much of the new evidence that led to his seeking the arrest warrant came from the investigative efforts of Cawthon and the Dulins’ civil litigation team, headed by Waco attorney Bill Johnston, a former federal prosecutor.
“We appreciate the work of the Rangers and others that resulted in this arrest and we also appreciate Judge Martin’s cooperation in the inquest and today,” Johnston said.
Dickey said she doubted that her friend committed suicide because “of our conversations about family and her spiritual life.”
She said they talked of their children and the upcoming school year, adding that Baker had interviewed for a new job a short time before her death and was eager to face a new challenge.
“She was always looking forward,” Dickey said. “She was charged up about the possibility of a new job teaching language arts at the middle school because she just had a passion for writing and she wanted to go to the next level.”
Toombs’ arrest complaint alleges that phone records indicated that Matt Baker called another woman on “dozens of occasions” between January and March 2006, adding that they were seen shopping for engagement rings within days of Kari Baker’s death.
An inspection of Matt Baker’s computer at the Waco Center for Youth showed that he had viewed Internet sites about drug overdoses with prescription drugs. On March 9, 2006, Baker conducted a computer search for “overdose by sleeping pill,” according to the sworn statement.
Baker also visited other Internet sites such as “SecureRXCart,” which authorities believe he used to buy prescription medication.
After Kari Baker confronted her husband about finding crushed pills in his briefcase, the affidavit alleges Matt Baker told her that youths from the Waco Center for Youth must have put them in his briefcase. Matt Baker reportedly told police investigators later that his wife must have hidden the pills there, police allege.
Other allegations included in the complaint revealed there was an abrasion on Kari Baker’s nose and bruises on her lips, possibly indicating that a pillow or other object was placed over her face to suffocate her.

Evidence reviewed
Also, forensic experts from Tennessee and Oklahoma, who have been hired by the Dulins to review evidence for their civil lawsuit, agree the timeline Matt Baker gave for his activities the night he discovered his wife’s body are contradicted by physical evidence, including lividity, or the time it takes for blood to pool in the lower extremities of a dead body.
Besides Dickey, Kari Baker reportedly told a counselor in April 2006 that she thought Baker was having an affair and that she believed he was going to kill her after she found the pills in his briefcase, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also learned that Baker reportedly switched computers with his secretary at the Waco Center For Youth when he learned police had a warrant to inspect the one he had been using.
“The defendant even switched inventory labels on the computers in an effort to disguise the computer switch,” Toombs alleged in the complaint.
Later, the computer in his secretary’s office “went missing” on a state holiday when the offices were closed.
One employee at work that day remembered seeing Baker in the office area, the report states.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/09/22/09222007wacmattbaker.html

沙文

5:00AM Saturday September 22, 2007

A Christian former camp leader robbed boys of their innocence and grossly abused his position of trust when he sexually abused them over a 14-year period, a court has heard.
Neville Cyril Collins, 44, was yesterday sentenced to 11 years in prison for abuse of six boys between 1984 and 1998.
The victims were aged 11 to 16 when Collins abused them at Boys' Brigade and Exercise Novice Warrior camps in Auckland and other places in the North Island.
Trusted by the boys' parents and considered a "father figure" to some of the victims, he also abused them in their homes and his home.
Three of the victims were at the High Court at Rotorua for the sentencing and excerpts of their victim impact statements were read out.
"He took from me my innocence, my trust and confidence in all areas of my life," one victim wrote. "I have lived with this for 21 years - the pain, the guilt, feeling dirty, the anger and embarrassment - all this time."
Another victim said Collins had taken away his dignity.
"When he sodomised me, I simply had no say in the matter. It was forced on me. I was violated [and] the physical pain I endured was excruciating."
Collins was earlier found guilty of 37 charges, including six counts of sexual violation and 25 of indecent assault. Some of the charges were representative, meaning they covered at least one incident of abuse in a specified period.
The married father of two, who the court heard was a committed Christian, faced a maximum of 20 years in prison and wept as Justice Pamela Andrews delivered his sentence.
Earlier, Collins had written the judge a letter, saying he had been in denial about his actions but now accepted his offending and was remorseful. He offered his apologies to the victims and his family, and expressed a desire to change.
But Justice Andrews said the admission came at the "12th or 13th" hour and only after his victims had to testify in court and endure "the ultimate insult" of being called liars by Collins.
She said the harm caused by the abuse was significant, and Collins used his position as a leader and someone the boys looked up to for premeditated offending.
"You abused the trust imposed on you very grossly ... Yours was serious, prolonged, and predatory sexual offending involving six vulnerable victims."
The judge found no mitigating factors, although Collins' lawyer, Matthew Ward-Johnson, argued his client was of otherwise good character and had given much time to the community.
He said Collins had been sexually abused as a child and had not offended since 1998.
But Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne said that coincided with the date the first victim went to police and, in the years since, Collins had continually denied any wrongdoing.
"He has secured his freedom for nine years, leaving the victims to ponder their blighted lives without any form of justice to them."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=500818&objectid=10465153

沙文

BY CAROLINE KANDIERO
13:48:53 - 17 October 2007

A Samaritan Church Pastor who was caught pants down by his wife raping a mentally ill woman in a bush was on Monday starting a seven-year jail term with hard labour.
Robert Masamba of Kanfosi Village T/A Katunga in Chikwawa was arrested by police last week and charged with defiling an imbecile.
Chikwawa First Grade Magistrate was told that it was not the first time the preacher man had lured the 35-year-old woman into sex. The woman is now pregnant.
“The suspect admitted the charge and revealed that he had sleept with the victim for three times this year alone,” said Chikwawa Police spokesperson Sunday Ngulube.
In passing judgement, Magistrate Stansfield Ngwale said an offence of this nature attracts a maximum penalty of 14 years and that the court had been lenient with the pastor since he was a first offender.
“This punishment should set as an example to all the defilers especially those who take advantage of the mentally disturbed,” said Ngwale.
According to Ngulube the suspects’ wife came upon the two as she was passing through the bush.
Ngulube said the pastor’s wife then severely assaulted the victim with a stick on the head. She sustained heavy injuries and had to be rushed to Chikwawa District Hospital.
“The hospital examination revealed that penetration had indeed taken place and that she was also pregnant,” Ngulube said.
http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=6890
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Portland Pastor Arrested On Rape Charges
16 October 2007

ORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland pastor accused of rape was arrested Monday at his home in Ridgefield, Wash.

Police said they linked Sergio Alvarizares, 38, to the sexual assault of eight women who are associated with his church.
Officers responded to the Casa Del Padre Church on Northeast Alberta Street on a disturbance call last month. When police arrived, they found several members of the church arguing with Alvarizares about allegations of improper sexual contact, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Later that night, six women reported sexual assault to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Two more alleged victims have been identified since the initial reports.
The Casa Del Padre Church primarily serves Portland's Spanish-speaking population.
Alvarizares is facing one count of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree attempted rape and 10 counts of first-degree sex abuse. He was booked into the Clark County Jail Monday and signed a waiver for extradition.
He is expected to be moved to the Multnomah County Jail sometime in the next two weeks.
Detectives are still investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 503-823-0453.
http://www.kptv.com/news/14355992/detail.html

沙文

October 17, 2007
BRADFORD - The former music director of the Bradford Baptist Church was arrested after police say he raped a 13-year-old boy.
On Oct. 16, 2007, White County Sheriff's Detectives arrested Timothy Dean Clark, 38, of Bradford for rape, a class Y felony.
The sheriff's department was contacted by investigators with the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Thursday and began assisting that agency at that time. At approximately 5 p.m., Clark met with the DHHS investigators and sheriff's detectives at the White County Law Enforcement Center and provided a statement.
The investigation has lead authorities to believe that Clark has engaged in sexual activity with the victim. Shortly after being interviewed by detectives, he was booked into the White County Detention Center and remains under a $100,000 bond. His court date is Dec. 4.
Police chief Josh Chambliss said an investigation is ongoing into Clark's activities.
“We are looking into some things done on a computer,” Chambliss said.
At this time, rumors of additional charges are false, Chambliss said.
Chambliss said Bradford Baptist Church issued a press release that said on Oct. 10 Clark gave a written resignation as Minister of Music and Outreach. The resignation was accepted at the church business meeting Oct. 14, the statement said.
“We want to make it clear his outreach ministry focused on adults and he was not our youth minister,” the statement said, as read by Chambliss to The Daily Citizen over the phone. “After his resignation, serious allegations of criminal activity began to be investigated by the State of Arkansas, the White County Sheriff's Department and the Bradford Police Department. We have sought to fully cooperate with the authorities in this ongoing investigation.
“As a church body, we are deeply shocked and saddened by this turn of events. We want it known that our sympathy is extended to the Clark family and our prayers are being offered daily.”
http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2007/10/18/news/local_news/news02.txt

沙文

事隔21年 兩年前再侵犯兩人         2007年10月26日

【明報專訊】自稱小時候被性侵犯的基督教會助理牧師(現年41歲)，21年前曾非禮一名11歲的男教友，這個「秘密」一直埋藏心底。5年前他加入教會成為助理牧師，並一直活躍於基督少年軍活動；2005年他重施故伎，侵犯兩名年輕男教友。結果他忍不住內心掙扎和折磨，在心情極度困擾下，向教會的資深牧師剖白曾經侵犯該名男童。

犯5罪今日判刑
被告馮俊業，其英文名Amos與舊約聖經中的《阿摩斯書》名稱相同，有「負荷」及「重擔者」之意。馮昨日在區域法院承認5項猥褻侵犯罪名，控罪指他於1986至88年，三度猥褻侵犯當時11歲的男事主A，以及於05年某日在沙田顯徑鸷一單位，分別猥褻侵犯當時17歲的男事主B及16歲的男事主C。法官押後至今日判刑。
辯方大律師昨日求情時說，被告12歲時遭性侵犯，之後成為同性戀者，多年來活在罪疚和痛苦之中，為自己的性取向苦苦掙扎。05年9月，被告獲資深牧師輔導，突然懺悔始揭發事件，他隨後辭去教會職務，並向精神科醫生及尋求心理輔導。
輔導員認為，被告因性取向備受困擾，並在教會工作及侍奉以改過自新。被告又特別向所有事主及所屬教會道歉，懇請控方勿披露教會資料。
暫委法官杜大衛表示，被告犯案並非單一事件，牽涉多名事主，被告21年前已侵犯當時11歲的事主A，當時他已是思想成熟的成年人。法官又指出，判刑非為阻嚇被告本身重犯，反而是為了對社會上其他有相類想法的人作出阻嚇。

曾活躍基督少年軍
案情指出，被告自小參加九龍一間基督教教會，並活躍於與教會聯繫的香港基督少年軍。被告自1998年修讀神學，02年7月畢業後，即在該教會任職助理牧師，主理青少年活動。05年9月，資深牧師發現被告情緒低落，遂向他輔導，揭露被告當年曾撫摸一名當年11歲的教友的下體，並為他口交。
案情續稱，被告向資深牧師剖白後翌月辭職，一年後即06年10月，資深牧師與2名年輕男教友傾談，才發現他們分別曾獲被告邀請到其家中打遊戲機，更與被告同脇，又曾被他隔覑衣服觸碰及撫摸下體，教會決定報警，警方於10月13日拘捕被告。

神職人員不應與異性過度親密
被告所屬教會負責人表示，他印象中的被告是有責任感、待人友善的好同事，從沒想過被告犯案，得悉事件後感到非常悲痛。負責人說，教會一直對神職人員有所要求及期望，希望他們與異性不要有過度親密的接觸。

【案件編號﹕DCCC571/07】
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20071026/gba1h.htm

沙文

今日晚報 2007.11.19　中央社
    　根據訴訟律師透露，美國俄勒岡教區羅馬天主教耶蘇會已同意，對一百多名聲稱遭到耶穌會神父性侵害的阿拉斯加州原住民，支付五千萬美元（約新台幣十六億兩千兩百萬元）和解款項。
    　在安克拉治執業的律師羅沙表示，這項與耶穌會俄勒岡教區達成的和解案，是目前為止與天主教修會達成的最大一筆和解金，羅沙表示，今天對一百一十名受害者而言，是「偉大的一天」。
    　羅沙指出：「這些受害者有的是祭壇侍童、祭壇服事、和祭壇女侍童」，「這些人試圖說出他們的經歷，結果許多狀況是他們被毆打，或要他們閉嘴，並告知他們，『你們怎麼能以這種事情去述說一個屬於上帝的人？』」。
    　羅沙表示，和解並未要求修會承認過失；沒有一名神父曾經遭到刑事起訴。
    　不過，俄勒岡教區耶穌會會長惠特尼表示，這項和解聲明還不成熟，部分內容還需要最後確認；俄勒岡教區耶穌會的牧養範圍包括俄勒岡州、華盛頓州、愛達荷州、蒙大拿州和阿拉斯加州。
    　惠特尼在一份事先準備好的聲明中指出：「當這些問題解決後，我們將能對此案進行更完整的討論」，他形容和解聲明「不成熟，也不利」於和解。
    　羅沙表示，此案有關原告部分的問題已經獲得解決，僅剩下修會與保險公司的問題還沒解決。
    　羅沙對美聯社出示修會律師韓森所寄來的一封電子郵件，其中寫道：「這封電子郵件證明已經達成和解，和解案將對原告支付五千萬美元，以換取解除所有對耶穌會被告的主張」，韓森也表示，能「使此事塵埃落定」，他感到高興。
    　不過，韓森未能立即回覆美聯社的查證。
    　羅沙說，此性侵事件有十三或十四名神職人員涉入，從一九六一年到一九八七年，前後長達將近三十年，受害兒童年齡從五歲到十幾歲都有。
http://news.chinatimes.com/2007C ... 7Cti-News-Content/0,4521,130504+132007111901039,00.html