This Week In Holy Crimes

Over the last seven days…

Florida
: Imam Yasser Mohamed Shahade arrested for sexual assault of 13 year-old boy.
Israel: Rabbi Elior Noam Hen charged with ritualistic burning and cutting of toddlers because they were “possessed by the devil.” One child is in a permanent vegetative state. Rabbi Hen has fled to Brazil, who has agreed to extradite him back to Israel.
Colorado: Pastor Don Armstrong charged with 20 felony fraud counts for stealing $300K from his congregation. Bonus: Armstrong started his church because his old one supported gay marriage and appointed gay clergy.
Florida: Pastor Garry Souffrant, his wife and his brother all charged with 59 felony counts for laundering $7M in cocaine profits and for mortgage fraud. Bonus: Pastor Souffrant bought 12 houses and a Rolls Royce Phantom with his loot.
Alabama: Pastor Billy Paul Masters charged with sexual abuse of child under 12. Bonus: Masters was on probation after spending six years in prison for the same crime.
Tennessee: Pastor Michael James charged with statutory rape.
Arkansas: Pastor Jason William Dubwig sentenced to five years in prison for incest with his adopted daughter.
New York: Pastor Merton Parks pleads guilty to possession of child pornography.
California: Pastor Daniel John Pedroza pleads guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, penetrating a minor with a foreign object.
Florida: Pastor Darrell Gilyard pleads guilty to lewd conduct and lewd molestation for sending explicit text messages and fondling 14 year-old girls.

This week’s winner:
Ireland: The Commission To Inquire Into Child Abuse releases a 3000-page, €70M report detailing the sexual and physical abuse of over 2500 boys at the hands of priests and nuns at numerous Catholic schools. Among the atrocities are naked beatings, rape, and gang rape. Only a few of cases will result in hearings for criminal charges as the Commission has been “overwhelmed past its capacities” to prosecute.

RELATED: Previous installments of This Week In Holy Crimes are here.