The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Arnold DiBlasi, a youth director at Holy Eucharist Parish in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and a grandfather, stands accused of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Evesham Township Police Chief Walt Miller have announced that a 71-year-old Marlton man has been charged with possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Arnold DiBlasi, of the first block of Prince Charles Court, was charged with four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (three First Degree and one Second Degree).
DiBlasi, who is the former youth group director at Holy Eucharist Parish in Cherry Hill, was taken into custody on July 26 at his residence following the execution of a search warrant. Electronic devices seized during the search will be examined by detectives from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit. A preliminary review of DiBlasi’s cell phone revealed the presence of child sexual abuse material.
He was lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly and released following a detention hearing in Superior Court. The case will now be referred to a grand jury for possible indictment.
The investigation began in May after the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit received information regarding DiBlasi’s online activities from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation revealed that DiBlasi, utilizing an online chat room, distributed more than 11,000 files of child sexual abuse material to 30 people.
DiBlasi worked with kids as youth director at Holy Eucharist Parish in Cherry Hill.
In a statement, Pastor Jason Rocks says officials assured him “no parish youth were involved in the materials, none of the activities took place on parish property, nor were any parish electronics used.”
Father Rocks also went on to say DiBlasi completed all required training and criminal background checks before being hired.
Sorry, Father Rocks. Your assurances carry very little, if any, weight on this site. We’ve seen too much.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Oh, the ugly parade of sexual depravity and thievery by church people just sickens me. And this post brought back a bad memory. I had a fellow congregant at church who started stalking me, calling me at home. Luckily my friend, who was my roommate at the time, is a tough broad who served in the Army. She answered the phone one day when he called. She used some choice, vulgar words with him and he never bothered me again. I found out that this man had stalked a former congregant and had terrified her enough that she left the church. So why didn’t they kick out him out and report him to the authorities when that happened? The church finally kicked him out after what happened to me. I guess I was more special than that poor lady. Maybe she didn’t give them enough money or something. 🫤 I don’t know whether they ever reported him, though. I wonder how often that sort of thing occurs in churches. Probably a lot, I bet.
Unwanted attention,rather than genuine caring, is a major part of why people depart from church life–they pester you,want things from you, but you can’t trust them as friend material. This besides the materialism and control issues.