Tag Archives: religion

Iowa Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges [VIDEO]

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: A former Iowa church pastor is accused of drugging and sexually abusing a child more than a decade ago. Criminal complaints say 68-year-old Mark Benson abused the girl several times at his home in Cambridge from 2009 to 2012. The victim was between the ages of 10 and 13 at the time. She told police …

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CA Pastor Imprisoned For Exploiting The Homeless

The Times Of San Diego reports: The former pastor of an Imperial County-based church and his wife were sentenced in San Diego federal court Friday following their guilty pleas to benefits fraud charges, in a case that originally stemmed from allegations that the church’s leaders forced homeless people to surrender their welfare benefits and panhandle to benefit the organization. Victor …

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NJ Youth Pastor Gets 27 Years On Child Sex Charges

The New Jersey Advance reports: A youth pastor at a church in Burlington County pleaded guilty this week to blackmailing four underage boys into performing sex acts online, which he recorded for his enjoyment, authorities said Thursday. Sean Higgins, 32, of Palmyra, pleaded guilty Tuesday in New Jersey Superior Court to four counts of endangering the welfare of children in …

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Body Of Former Pope Benedict Lies In State At Vatican

The Associated Press reports: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ’s body, his head resting on a pair of crimson pillows, lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday as thousands of people filed by to pay tribute to the pontiff who shocked the world by retiring a decade ago. As daylight broke, 10 white-gloved Papal Gentlemen — lay assistants to …

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Michigan Youth Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Detroit’s Fox affiliate reports: David Shagena was a youth leader at The River Church when minors came forward alleging him of inappropriate behavior, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said. Shagena was arraigned Dec. 24 on a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge and three other counts of crimes against minors. He was given a $10,000 bond, which he has since …

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Mormon Leader With Underage Wives Pleads Not Guilty

CBS News reports: A polygamous leader accused of taking more than 20 wives, including underage girls, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to kidnapping and tampering with evidence charges stemming from a federal investigation into his community on the Utah-Arizona border. Sam Bateman’s case is the most recent example of law enforcement taking action against abuse in the sister cities of …

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Las Vegas Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Las Vegas’s Fox affiliate reports: A Las Vegas pastor allegedly molested a child under the age of 14 years old while several adults knew about the situation and did nothing, according to authorities. Isaac Luna-Valencia, 48, is being held at Clark County Detention Center without bail as of Thursday on lewdness with a child and kidnapping charges. Witnesses said members …

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Pope Francis Warns Holier-Than-Thou Vatican Officials

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis warned Vatican bureaucrats on Thursday to beware the devil that lurks among them, saying it is an “elegant demon” that works in people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and priests who work …

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MT Pastor Arrested On Multiple Child Sex Charges

Billings’ CBS affiliate reports: A Lame Deer pastor was arraigned Tuesday in federal court on sexual abuse charges alleged to have occurred on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Dean Alan Smith, 66, pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of abusive sexual contact and three counts of abusive sexual contact …

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Ohio Pastor Arrested On Two Felony Child Sex Charges

The Monroe News reports: Robert Auxter, 75, of Monroe, who had been a pastor and a deacon at Monroe’s Grace Lutheran Church, is charged with two felony counts of gross sexual imposition by the Ottawa Common Pleas Court of Ottawa County in Port Clinton, Ohio. According to court documents, he is charged with having sexual contact with a person younger …

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MD Pastor Indicted On Multiple Child Porn Charges

Baltimore’s CBS affiliate reports: The Delaware Department of Justice is looking for more victims in the prosecution of a Sussex County pastor charged with soliciting child pornography. The DOJ says 62-year-old Leonard Eley, was indicted on Nov. 28 on one count of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor, two counts of Possession of Child Pornography, and one count of Theft by …

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NYC’s “Bling Bishop” Arrested On Extortion Charges

The New York Times reports: Lamor Whitehead, a flashy Brooklyn pastor who was the victim of a brazen armed robbery last summer, was charged on Monday with fraud, extortion and lying to federal authorities. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Mr. Whitehead solicited money from victims, including a retired parishioner, through threats or false promises of enriching them, then kept the …

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OH Pastor Busted In Human Trafficking Sting [VIDEO]

Cleveland’s NBC affiliate reports: Seventeen men in Northeast Ohio were arrested and charged as the result of a human trafficking investigation that took place on Dec. 8. An online ad offering sexual favors for money led the men to a Microtel Inn & Suites hotel in Canton, the center of an undercover operation. Reports indicate one of the men, Robert …

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Cops: Pastor Stole Home Of Couple With Alzheimer’s

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: A Miami-Dade preacher has been accused of preying on an elderly couple in her congregation, allegedly stealing their life savings and their home. That woman, 63-year-old Yvonne Hampton-Barley, is already out of jail. She is accused of befriending the couple and using her position as a church pastor in an deceptive scheme to steal from them. …

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Pastor Charged In $8M COVID Scheme Dodges Court

NBC News reports: A Florida pastor accused of fraudulently obtaining $8 million in Covid relief funds is in declining health and appears to be unable to speak, his lawyer said after he failed to appear in court. “There are grave medical concerns,” Erin Hyde told a federal judge in Orlando on Wednesday. Evan Edwards, 64, and his son Josh, 30, …

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IL Pastor Found Guilty Of Five Felony Child Sex Charges

Religion News Service reports: Mark Rivera, a former lay pastor at the center of several sexual abuse allegations in a conservative Anglican denomination, was found guilty of five counts of felony child sexual abuse and assault on Thursday morning. Judge John Barsanti of Illinois’ 16th Judicial Circuit Court in Kane County found Rivera guilty of two counts of predatory sexual …

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Florida Christian School Student Charged With School Shooting Threat, Several Guns Found In Home [VIDEO]

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: A 13-year-old seventh grader at Trinity Christian Academy in Deltona is facing charges. Investigators say the boy, who WESH is not naming because of his age, threatened on social media to shoot up the school and three of his classmates. Investigators say witnesses reported the teen wrote specific threats on Snapchat including: “I got 32 rounds …

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NC Pastor Hit With 14 New Child Sex Charges [VIDEO]

Durham’s ABC affiliate reports: A Durham pastor, who also worked as a substitute teacher, is facing 14 new criminal charges out of Wake County. Police accuse David Dixon of committing a number of sex crimes with an underage victim at his Raleigh apartment. This comes a week after Durham investigators arrested him on charges of statutory rape and indecent liberties …

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FL Pastor And Son Charged With $8M COVID Scam

NBC News reports: A Florida pastor and his son were arrested Wednesday on charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World. Evan Edwards and his son, Josh, 30, were taken into custody five months after an NBC News report raised …

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Church Youth Leader Convicted Of Child Sex Charges

Norfolk’s ABC affiliate reports: A Norfolk man who served as a youth group leader was convicted of sexual abuse Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Charles Willoughby III, 39, served as a youth group leader at New Life Worship Center. According to the DOJ, between 2006 and 2012, he groomed teenage girls in the church’s youth program to try …

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