Thomas Mullins, principal at First Baptist School of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, was arrested Wednesday and charged with soliciting prostitution.
Paul Bowers, a reporter for The Post and Courier, writes:
The principal at First Baptist School of Charleston has resigned following his arrest on a charge of soliciting prostitution Wednesday afternoon.
Head of School Thomas Mullins, 67, of Murray Drive in Hanahan, had served as the leader of the private downtown school since 2002. He was previously a principal at North Charleston High.
“Our hearts are united in prayer for Mr. Mullins and his family,” First Baptist School leaders said in an email to parents. “The Board will be announcing plans for the future leadership of the school soon. In the meantime, the Board is unanimous in expressing appreciation to Tommy Mullins for his outstanding service to Charleston County Schools for most of his career and to First Baptist School since 2002.”
According to an arrest report from the North Charleston Police Department, an undercover officer was posing as a prostitute as part of a sting operation around 4:10 p.m. Wednesday and made contact with Mullins in his car near the intersection of Remount Road and Buskirk Avenue.
The report states that officers arrested Mullins on a prostitution charge when he solicited sex from the officer for money. Police later found whisky in an open cup in the car’s console and charged Mullins with an open container violation.
Reached by phone Friday, First Baptist Church Pastor Marshall Blalock said Mullins’ arrest came as a shock to school leaders and that he was “heartbroken” for Mullins.
The email to parents, which he co-signed with First Baptist School Board Chair D. Harrison Carter, credited Mullins with piloting dual-credit courses at the school, expanding enrollment, building a new James Island campus, promoting excellence in athletics and promoting racial diversity.
“First Baptist School is grateful for the many contributions Tommy Mullins has made to bless our students and their families over these past fifteen years,” the statement said. “Now as he takes the next steps in his life, the First Baptist family extends love and support to the Mullins family. We want to assure our alumni, parents, students, faculty, and church of the continuing strength of First Baptist School and our commitment to providing a Christian education in an environment which glorifies God.”
Nicholas Lies, a youth ministry volunteer at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been charged with “five counts of sexual assault after allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl at least 14 times.”
A former Mt. Lebanon youth ministry mentor has been charged with five counts of sexual assault after allegedly engaging in sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl at least 14 times.
Nicholas Lies, 21, was serving as a volunteer with Southminster Presbyterian Church on Washington Road when he began inappropriate relations with an underage member of the church, according to a criminal complaint.
He is accused of taking the girl to a park after church events 12 times during a three-week period from April to May 2016, and twice again in August. At the park, the complaint alleges, he engaged in fondling and requested sexual acts from the girl, the severity of which escalated as time went on.
Last week, the girl alerted the youth director at the church, who in turn reported it to Allegheny County’s Office of Children, Youth and Families, said the Rev. Daniel B. Merry, Southminster’s pastor. The county’s CYF office then contacted police.
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The criminal complaint stated that Mr. Lies admitted to some of the alleged crimes and provided a written statement to police June 29.
He has been charged with one count each of statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors, endangering welfare of children and indecent assault. A preliminary hearing will be held July 12.
Chuck Williams, a reporter for The Telegraph reports:
A Columbus woman has accused a longtime local minister of years of sexual abuse that started in 2002 when she was 15, according to a lawsuit filed in Muscogee County Superior Court last month.
The civil suit was filed against Pastor Lewis Clemons, Church of God in Christ Inc., Wynnton Road Ministries Church of God in Christ, Inc., and five other parties that were not named. Clemons is currently senior pastor at Kingdom Awareness Ministries, where his title is apostle.
Lequita Jackson, who started attending Clemons’ church when she was 14 and did not leave it until last month, alleges that Clemons led her into “inappropriate sexual contact.” She said Clemons used his position of leadership in the church to make her “do what he wanted and to justify his actions.”
Jackson, her husband of five years Jonathan Jackson, her attorney Jeb Butler of the Atlanta firm Butler/Tobin and Maria Herlth of the Columbus Sexual Assault Support Center sat down for an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer Wednesday morning to discuss the lawsuit and allegations.
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Jackson, now in her 30s, and her husband attended Kingdom Awareness Ministries until last month when they left the church. In addition to being members and having met at the church, they both held volunteer ministry positions in the church, they said.
Jackson said one of the reasons she is coming forward now is that she recently learned “about seven other women” were in relationships with Clemons.
“When I found out there were other victims — all that time I thought I was the only victim and it was an isolated occurrence — I wanted to do what I could to stop him,” Jackson said. “Part of that included speaking out about what had happened to me and making sure that other people knew what he had done and to make it public knowledge.”
Her attorney said he applauded Jackson for stepping forward. “Clemons has taken something that can never be given back,” Butler said. “But when Lequita found out this had happened to others in her church, she was courageous enough to ask, and I am honored enough to help her in her goal to make sure this never happens ever again.”
There is a reason the suit was filed in Superior Court and not State Court, Butler said.
“We seek an order from the court barring Clemons from ever being a pastor or church official again,” Butler said.
The suit claims, “Clemon’s long-term pattern of abuse, spanning many years and many victims, shows as long as he is able to remain a pastor or church leader, he will sexually abuse those who accept him as a religious leader.”
The inappropriate sexual contact started at Faith Unlimited Ministries, a church Clemons led on Floyd Road in Columbus, according to the suit. At 14, the suit claims, Jackson began having “sexual contact” with the music director at Faith Unlimited Ministries. That music director is not named in the lawsuit.
Jackson sought help from Clemons to end the sexual contact, according to the suit. In Wednesday’s interview, Jackson said criminal charges were filed in 2002 against the music director, but the case was not prosecuted when she “recanted” her story.
Clemons then began to have “inappropriate sexual contact” with her, Jackson’s suit claims.
“Defendant Clemons subjected Plaintiff to a practice that he called ‘body anointing’ in which he took off Plaintiff’s clothes and rubbed her body with oil,” according to the suit. “… Defendant Clemons told the Plaintiff his actions were authorized by the Bible.”
The suit alleges that the victim and Clemons had sexual intercourse.
The sexual relationship with Clemons continued from 2002 to about 2009, Jackson said. Jackson said she did not tell anyone at the church of the relationship with Clemons.
The plaintiff, Lequita Jackson, accuses the pastor of child molestation, sexual battery, and even rape. It’s a position neither Jackson, 30, nor another alleged victim, Lakisha Smith, expected to be in.
“He was a child molester,” Jackson said. “He was a sexual predator who needed to be stopped. I just kind of accepted it at that age. That was what would help me come to terms with what was happening.”
Jackson claims what started as simple talks in the car when she was 15 escalated in to kisses, caresses and even sexual intercourse. Jackson adds the pastor would perform what he called “body anointings,” rubbing oil all over her body. Jackson says Clemons impregnated her twice, posed as her guardian, and paid for two abortions. According to her revelation, Apostle Clemons would cite and use scriptures in the Bible to justify these alleged acts.
“He misinterpreted what God originally put into the scriptures to use it to his benefit.,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s attorney says Clemons used about five different churches, “attacking vulnerable women.” Jackson was married for five years and had two kids before she even told her husband about the alleged abuse. The women tell News 3 Clemons was careful not to perfoorm any “body anointings” on men, as well as not to have his wife around during specific meetings in his church office.
“A lot of the times the victims are forgotten about,” Smith said.
Smith, 37, says it’s been a long uphill battle to rebuild personally, emotionally, and spiritually. Smith believes sexual abuse in church happens a lot more often than people realize.
“Victims feel like they have no proof,” Smith said. “It’ll be their word against whoever is sexually abusing them.”
Smith says she was taking care of her disabled son and her mother, a two-time cancer survivor during her alleged assault in 2015. Smith believes speaking out may help other women. She says during this ordeal, she gave way to doubt and her faith fell on rocky soil.
“I’ve questioned my knowledge of the Bible and God’s Word,” Smith said. “And I feel like honestly, I have to start over. He needs to be held accountable for his actions, There are lives and souls at stake.”
News 3 spoke with Apostle Clemons; however, when we asked him about any possible allegations regarding sexual assault or abuse, he hung up the phone.
“He could explain it away in the comfort of the church walls,” Jackson said. “But if he had to explain it to the public, he could not. I am not surprised he wasn’t willing to explain himself. My only hope is that he does recognize the error of his ways, and that he does do something about it before it’s too late.”
Jason Kennedy, children’s ministry pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee and Zubin Parakh, the creative pastor for Lifehouse Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, were arrested last year on charges on human trafficking.
Channel 8-Knoxville reports:
After a three-day investigation, nearly two dozen men were arrested on charges related to human trafficking, including Jason Evan Kennedy, a pastor of children’s ministry at Grace Baptist in Karns.
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Church leaders said Kennedy was hired two-and-a-half years ago. Church administrators got a background check on Kennedy and it turned up with no issues at the time. It did not indicate any previous problems. Church leaders believed Kennedy was a good fit because he listed a children’s pastor as a reference on his application. That pastor affirmed Kennedy had no issues in his background.
“We are praying for his family and will continue to provide the services of our ministry to them,” read the final statement in the church’s release.
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According to a police report, Kennedy responded to a Backpage.com ad via text message. The report says Kennedy was made aware that there would be two girls present, one was 15 years old. He negotiated $100 for a half hour of sex with both girls.
He was told to go to a gas station on Merchants Road for further instructions. Then he received instructions to go to a hotel room where the girls were.
The report says he stated he wanted to have sex with both girls he thought were inside. He put the agreed upon $100 on the counter. He removed his pants and then law enforcement took him into custody.
“Our work is not finished. We want to make sure there is no safe place to hide for criminals who would victimize the most vulnerable among us. We want anyone answering an ad for sex to think that a TBI agent and a Knoxville Police officer may be on the other end of that line,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn.
Kennedy is charged with human trafficking and patronizing prostitution.
TBI Director Mark Gwyn says another man, Zubin Parakh, responded to ads specifically indicating he was looking for underage girls to have sex with. Parakh was listed as a “Creative Pastor” for Lifehouse Church in Oak Ridge.
Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and officers with the Knoxville Police Department worked together to arrest or cite 32 people on charges related to human trafficking. Twenty-three of those arrests were of men trying to buy sex from a prostitute.
“These are men from our community. They include an engineer, a volunteer firefighter, a landscaper, a student. These are people we work with and live with,” said Gwyn.
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During the investigation, undercover agents posted ads on Backpage.com, including an ad posing as an underage girl. Three-hundred people made contact in relation to those ads. More than two dozen people made contact in relation to the ad of the agents posed as an underage girl.
“What so many people in our community don’t quite understand is that human trafficking is a demand driven crime. And that demand comes from every single part of our society, including those parts that we’d all like to believe are not part of the problem,” said Trudell.
Jay Singleton, former youth pastor at Edgewood Assembly of God in Columbus, Georgia, was arrested Wednesday and charged with “criminal attempt child molestation, criminal attempt sodomy, and driving with a suspended license.”
WTVM-9 reports:
Columbus police have arrested a former youth pastor at Edgewood Assembly of God on several charges including child molestation and sodomy.
Homer Singleton, 45, known as Jay, was arrested on Wednesday, June 28 around noon after the Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Unit was investigating an individual for attempted aggravated child molestation. Singleton was arrested near the area of Broadway and 8th St.
The pastor of Edgewood Assembly of God, Charles Hayes, released the following statement concerning this incident:
Two years ago, he was on staff here and left Edgewood Assembly of God. My heart goes out to the family. They need prayer. Jay needs prayer.
Singleton was recently a volunteer worker with the children’s ministry at The Refuge Church, which is a satellite of North Highland.
Pastor Robert French with the Refuge Church sent us the following statement:
We are saddened about the alleged situation here. We will continue to pray for the family, his wife and his son. The church is here to support them during this horrible situation. As a church, we will do everything we can to provide the necessary support.
….
The former youth pastor was charged with criminal attempt child molestation, criminal attempt sodomy and driving with a suspended license.
Andre Leaphart, an associate pastor at Fellowship United Church of Christ in Chesapeake, Virginia, was charged yesterday with “sexual battery with the intent to transmit infection.”
A Newport News man has been charged with sexual battery with the intent to transmit infection.
News 3 has learned from church officials that 40 year-old Andre Leaphart is an Associate Pastor at the Fellowship United Church of Christ in Chesapeake.
Police said on April 12 a Hampton man told authorities that he contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the Leaphart. The victim said the suspect knew he was infected.
After a two month long investigation, Leaphart was arrested Tuesday.
News 3 spoke to Leaphart’s relatives who said he has always been honest about his medical situation with those he was close to and they don’t believe the accusations.
They said Leaphart is always going out of his way for others and they think there is more to this story that has not been exposed.
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.
Former Pastor Michael Trosclair and his wife Shari Treba were arrested recently ans charged with “neglect of a dependent in a situation that endangers the dependent” and public intoxication.
A mom and dad from Alabama were arrested after allegedly taking their infant daughter to party at an Indiana bar — as witnesses said the mother drank and smoked while breastfeeding her child.
Michael Trosclair, 45 and Shari Treba, 42, were taken into custody and charged with neglect of a dependent in a situation that endangers the dependent. They were also hit with a public intoxication charge.
“Partying was more important than their child,” a detective wrote in an affidavit. The suspects reportedly were in town for a work conference. Trosclair’s LinkedIn profile shows he’s a former senior pastor, AL.com noted.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to the Wild Beaver Saloon early Friday morning following reports of a woman asking customers for beer, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by AL.com.
Police confronted Treba while she was standing near a stroller. When police asked her who the baby belonged to, she said the baby girl was hers. Police said that Treba’s “breath and person” smelled like alcohol. She allegedly had to be asked several times who she was and where she was from.
A witness at the bar told the officer that Treba had been offering sex to individuals who would go inside the establishment and get her a beer. The witness also told police that he had watched Treba drink while simultaneously breastfeeding. Other witnesses told police that Treba had previously chained the stroller – with the baby still in it – to a post outside the bar and went inside to buy a drink.
Treba allegedly informed police that she was with her husband and friends from his job.
Her breath alcohol content at the time of her arrest was .193.
Trosclair allegedly became angry after Treba was confronted by police. “Mr. Trosclair became belligerent and started demanding to talk to a lawyer and telling us we weren’t going to do anything,” according to the affidavit. “It was at this time, due to Mr. Trosclair’s behavior, I put him in cuffs for fear he may fight us with the baby right there.”
The baby would be checked out by medics, officers told Treba. They also called Child Protective Services and a child abuse investigator to the location at the time of the incident.
Three years after parting ways with the United Pentecostal Church International, Michael Trosclair, a former senior pastor at Turning Point Church in Theodore, Alabama, was arrested at a bar along with his wife and their infant daughter in tow.
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An official with the UPCI headquarters in Weldon Spring, Missouri, confirmed with The Christian Post Thursday that Trosclair was once a licensed minister with the organization but has not been affiliated with them for about three years.
She declined say for how long he was an active minister.
A February 28, 2018 Christian Post news report states that Michael Trosclair and wife Shari Treba the were found not guilty:
A former United Pentecostal Church pastor and his wife, who were arrested at a bar in Indiana last summer for allegedly being drunk while neglecting their infant daughter, have been found not guilty of the charges.
“After 263 days of silence and public shame, we are grateful for the verdict of ‘not guilty.’ This verdict contributes to our continued healing from the loss and emotional pain caused by this incident. We now look forward to expressing the true story of who we are and what happened,” Michael Trosclair, a former senior pastor at Turning Point Church in Theodore, Alabama, and his wife, Shari Tremba, said in a joint statement released by their lawyer Marc Lopez of Indianapolis.
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Lopez said the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office filed felony charges on June 19, 2017, against the couple, but after deliberating for less than 20 minutes last week an Indianapolis jury found them “not guilty” of all crimes charged.
“I am so happy at the verdict in this case. And I want to thank Michael Trosclair for putting his faith into me and my law firm in representing him. When Michael hired me, he told me he was going to fight this the entire way. And we did,” Lopez said.
Witness testimony showed that while Trosclair and Tremba were in Indianapolis for a financial industry convention they were accompanied by two caretakers who were charged with the care of their 7-month-old as they networked with other convention attendees.
On the night of their arrest, the group had dinner, participated in convention activities, and took a walking tour of Indianapolis, the evidence showed. While walking past a downtown bar, Trosclair went inside to greet a business partner while his 7-month-old daughter stayed outside the bar with Tremba and the two other adult caretakers.
While Tremba waited outside with the 7-month-old child, a patron of the bar called 911 stating he had seen her being neglectful of the child.
Witness testimony at the trial, however, contradicted the allegations of the 911 caller, noting that the only thing Tremba did was consume one 10-ounce beer. The person who gave her the beer testified that he did so about 10 minutes before the police arrived. He also said Tremba was not intoxicated.
When police officers arrived on the scene and informed Tremba to get her husband and that her daughter would be taken to the hospital to be evaluated she became upset. When her husband arrived and learned what was happening he became upset as well and they were both arrested.
Authorities have accused a 47-year-old man of sexually assaulting his teenaged wife, who is a member of a group that believes they are direct descendants of biblical Israelites, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office.
The unidentified 14-year-old girl’s mother, another member of the group, also was arrested on charges of endangering a child.
According to the sheriff’s office, the 14-year-old female told a doctor that she was married and sexually active. She said she had been “married” since she was 13. Police were notified of the situation on June 5 by Child Protective Services.
Sheriff Troy Nehls said during a Thursday press conference that he found the girl’s ordeal to be a “very disturbing, disturbing case.”
The sheriff’s office identified Steven Carty, 47, as the “husband” and charged him with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The girl’s mother, Cherry Jamila Payton, 39, was charged with endangering a child, a state felony.
When CPS officials interviewed both the teen and her mother, they described themselves as Hebrew Israelites, African-Americans who believe they are descendants of ancient Israelites.
The mother apparently supported her daughter’s marriage to Carty because of their beliefs, according to Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office spokeswomen Caitilin Espinosa.
Espinosa said the young girl did not have a traditional marriage ceremony, but the teen believed she was married because of her cultural beliefs.
“She didn’t get married in front of pastor or priest,” Espinosa said. “It was a cultural thing that she believes she was married.”
There are thousands of people across the country and other parts of the world including the Caribbean, Africa and United Kingdom who consider themselves Hebrew Israelites, according to The Associated Press.
Members usually dress in colorful clothing, refrain from birth control and also believe in polygamy. There are several meeting places for Hebrew Israelites across Texas including in El Paso, Houston and Dallas.
Their spiritual leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel, died in Israel in 2014. He believed that some African-Americans were descendants of the biblical tribe of Judah and migrated to West Africa after the Jewish Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 in Jerusalem.
In the 1960s, the leader said he had a vision from the angel Gabriel to return to West Africa. He led a group of people back to Liberia, which became the starting point of the worldwide belief system.
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.
Fake Dr. Todd Coontz, pastor of Dominion Family Worship Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (church’s website is a parked domain) and CEO of Rockwealth Ministries stands accused of “failing to pay taxes and filing false tax returns, as well as hiding assets that were paid for by donations.”
A televangelist and so-called “prosperity preacher” with ties to Charlotte has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Pastor Todd Coontz is accused of failing to pay taxes and filing false tax returns, as well as hiding assets that were paid for by donations. The U.S. attorney said, “This is a classic example of, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’”
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As a cable TV evangelist, Coontz promised financial miracles for people who sent money to his ministry.
“You need to plant the $273 recovery seed. I’m only going to give you two to three minutes to respond,” Coontz once told his viewers.
Coontz posted videos on Twitter as recently as Wednesday, promising financial blessings to the faithful.
“Suddenly miracles are happening. I want to work with your faith for quick things, swift things,” Coontz said in the video.
In February 2013, a Channel 9 investigation revealed some of Coontz’s own “blessings,” which included a $1.38 million condo at a building on the corner of Providence and Sharon Amity roads. In the garage of that building was his Ferrari and his Maserati.
A federal criminal indictment on Thursday pointed to those exact same assests in Channel 9’s investigation.
The condo was purchased by Coontz’s Rockwealth Ministries as “parsonage” for him, according to the indictment. The court documents said the cars were also titled in the name of the ministry.
The U.S. Secret Service started looking into Coontz and Rockwealth Ministries as a result of the Channel 9 investigation.
The indictment revealed delinquent tax returns from as far back as 2000. From 2010-2013, Coontz owed more than $326,000 in taxes.
Investigators said he also hid his income from the Internal Revenue Service by cashing checks he received from churches and ministries for travel and speaking engagements and then claiming that same travel as business expenses.
The indictment also revealed he used business funds to pay for personal expenses, such as more than $227,000 for clothes, $140,000 at restaurants and more than 400 charges at movie theaters.
Coontz’s defense attorney, Mark Foster, said the indictment makes allegations but isn’t proof.
“He’s otherwise is a good man,” Foster said. “He’s tried to do the right thing all his life and he has no criminal record. We’re going to fight this out.”
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Statement from Coontz’s attorney:
“William Todd Coontz has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Charlotte on several criminal tax charges. Coontz unequivocally asserts his innocence of these charges.
A grand jury is tasked only with determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a defendant has committed a federal crime. The government presents its evidence to the grand jury in secret and the defense cannot be present. Thus, the grand jury’s indictment of Coontz is not a determination of guilt — it is merely a preliminary finding that is necessary before the federal government can prosecute someone.
The government has chosen to make a statement to the press about Mr. Coontz’s indictment. It must be remembered that Todd Coontz is presumed innocent. Todd Coontz has retained veteran federal criminal defense attorney Mark Foster to represent him in this case and will vigorously defend himself against these charges. Todd Coontz has always endeavored to follow the law and to be a good citizen, father and minister. He trusted others to manage his finances and taxes for him and was shocked to find out he was under criminal investigation by the IRS.
We expect that after hearing all the evidence, a jury will fully vindicate Mr. Coontz by finding him not guilty of all charges.
Mark Foster, Attorney at Law”
Fundraising pop-up from Rockwealth Ministries website
The Rockwealth Ministries BIO (bullshit) page for Coontz states:
Pastor, Evangelist, Television Host, Author,Humanitarian, Philanthropist, Businessman are some words others use to describe Dr. Todd Coontz.
Dr. Todd Coontz’s life of service to God began at age 10 when he dedicated his life to the Lord at the altar in a small country church. “I’ll go where You want me to go, God … I’ll say what You tell me to say… I’ll do whatever You want! I am yours!” The following night he preached his first sermon on Moses and the Ten Commandments, having just watched the classic movie by the same title. The prayer he prayed in that little chapel changed the course of his life and launched him into more than four decades of ministry and preaching the gospel around the world!
As the Founder/Pastor of Dominion Family Worship Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he proclaims the message of the gospel and The Great Commission to the body of Christ. He loves God’s people and is committed to building a church where everyone is welcome. His ministry extends beyond the local church through his daily television broadcast, FAITH NOW, which reaches 90 million homes in the US and airs globally in over 200 countries. Millions have been touched, inspired, educated, and motivated to become everything God desires for them through his multi-faceted ministry.
A published author with more than 10 books and several best-selling titles, Dr. Coontz ministers effectively on the topics of faith, finances, and building people. As a noted faith teacher and captivating communicator, Dr. Coontz is passionate about the principles of Biblical Economics outlined in the Covenant found in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. His objective is to teach God’s people how to qualify, receive and manage wealth based upon Scriptural principles, including those from Deuteronomy 8:18.
In addition to his many endeavors, he finds time to travel internationally with some of the most renown “Generals of Faith” and can be seen on the largest television networks, including TBN, Daystar, INSP, Word Network, and more. He is also the Founder of RockWealth International Ministries, the Owner of Legacy Media, Inc., a media and publishing company, and holds an Honorary Doctor of Ministry Degree from Kingsway University.
Dr. Todd Coontz is a minister of the gospel with a heart for God’s people … a humanitarian committed to feeding underprivileged children … and a man of God who lives what he preaches!
An April 3, 2018 WBTV-3 story reports:
The trial is underway for a former Charlotte minister who was indicted for reportedly failing to pay his taxes.
According to prosecutors,Todd Coontz skirted the IRS for years. Federal prosecutors say Coontz allegedly failed to pay taxes and filed false tax returns.
He was the minister of Rock Wealth International Ministries from 2010 to 2014, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Coontz’s website states he is a pastor, evangelist, television host, author, humanitarian, philanthropist and a businessman.
From 2000 to 2014, Coontz consistently failed to make timely payments on his taxes and sometimes owed hundreds of thousands of dollars, investigators said. According to the Observer, Coontez under-reported his income on his tax returns “by not including as income payments made by his corporations and ministry for his personal expenses.”
Coontz also would allegedly get people to make checks out to him personally for speaking engagements, the Observer reported.
The Observer reported that Coontz “enjoyed a life of luxury” and claimed his $1.5 million condo and his luxury vehicles as business expenses. In addition, he allegedly also claimed a boat, clothing purchases, entertainment purchases and $140,000 in meals as business expenses, the Observer reported.
When announcing the charges in 2017, U.S. Attorney Jill Rose said this case was “a classic example of ‘Do as I say, not as I do.'”
“As a minister, Coontz preached about receiving and managing wealth, yet he failed to keep his own finances in order. Coontz will now receive a first-hand lesson in ‘rendering unto Caesar’ that which is due,” Rose said.
The Observer reported that Coontz wrote several books about finances.
Coontz’s lawyer, Mark Foster, said he “always endeavored to follow the law and to be a good citizen, father, and minister. He trusted others to manage his finances and taxes for him and was shocked to find out he was under criminal investigation by the IRS,” the Observer reported.
“We expect that after hearing all the evidence, a jury will fully vindicate Mr. Coontz by finding him not guilty of all charges,” Foster told the Observer in 2017.
….
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 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.
Craig Wieneke, assistant worship leader for Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri, has been charged with “receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.”
A federal grand jury indicted a former music director of a church in Springfield for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet. The charge against Craig Wienke [sic], 31, of Springfield, was unsealed on Monday after being handed up on June 13.
Wienke [sic] made his first court appearance on Monday. He remains in jail pending a detention hearing on June 22. A judge put him on an accelerated track for trial, which could be held as early as Aug. 21.
Investigators believe Wienke [sic] received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between last Nov. 10 and April 4. Wienke [sic] was music director at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield in that period.
The FBI, the Springfield Police Department and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department investigated this case. It’s part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
KSPR-33 adds:
Craig Wienke [sic], 31, is charged with distributing and receiving child porn online. The executive pastor says he was the assistant worship leader at Ridgecrest Baptist Church.
Church leaders say Wienke [sic] worked at the church while kids were present but did not work with them directly. They say none of the children at the church are involved in the case against him.
Church leaders say they fired Wienke [sic] in April when they found out about the investigation. They say had no way to tell ahead of time.
“Everyone gets a thorough background check,” said Executive Pastor Wayne Barron. “For Craig, he had just never, there was no record there because he had never had any issues with the law regarding this. So he’d been through all the process, and we’ll continue to do that.”
