Menu Close

Tag: Black Collar Crime

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Todd Tomko Charged With Sex Crimes

1 Comment

todd shane tomko

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.

Todd “Rhino” Tomko, a disgraced U.S. Marine colonel and pastor of Parkview Church in Quincy, Illinois, was charged this week with “three counts of indecent liberties with a child, three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of cruelty.”

Joshua Miller, a reporter for the New York Post, writes:

A former commander of the Marines’ Wounded Warrior Regiment has been charged with sex crimes involving three children in Virginia, police said.

Todd Shane Tomko, a 54-year-old former Marine Corps colonel, was arrested last week in his hometown of Quincy, Ill., where he had been serving as the pastor of Parkview Church following his court-martial and forced retirement from the Marines Corps in 2016 amid accusations of inappropriate sexual contact with subordinates, the Quincy Herald-Whig reports. [Tomko court-martialed over sexual improprieties, Jesus forgives him, and church hires him as their pastor…amazing]

Tomko was arrested on charges of three counts of indecent liberties with a child, three counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of cruelty, Virginia Beach police spokeswoman Linda Kuehn told the Virginian-Pilot.

The incidents allegedly occurred in 2002 and Tomko knew the three alleged victims, Kuehn said.

Tomko, according to the Washington Post, was sentenced to 60 days’ confinement and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty during his court-martial to conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman for having an inappropriate contact with enlisted subordinates, including a female Marine corporal.

Tomko also pleaded guilty to possessing anabolic steroids and testosterone, with the majority of the allegations occurring when he was stationed with the Wounded Warrior Regiment in Quantico, Va. Tomko had been relieved of his command there in February 2015 after the allegations surfaced, the Washington Post reported.

Tomko, whose 33 years in the Marines included a tour of duty in Afghanistan, said during the court-martial that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder just months after he was relieved from the Wounded Warrior Regiment. But he had been struggling for years, Tomko said.

….

In 2016, USMC Life reported:

Marine Corps officials filed criminal sex-abuse charges against the former Wounded Warrior Battalion commanding officer, Col. T. Shane Tomko yesterday.

Last year in February, Col. T. Shane “Rhino” Tomko was relieved of his duty after only being in that position for approximately six months. He was relieved by Marine and Family Programs Director Brig. Gen. Russell Sanborn “due to a loss of confidence in his leadership,” in a statement released by Maj. Rob Dolan, a spokesman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for March, but later postponed, according to the Quincy news. No calls were returned to the news source by the Marine Corps.

Tomko was charged by the Corps with “abusive sexual contact, obstruction of justice, illegal possession of steroids and other crimes,” as listed in the news piece. It detailed charges of Tomko being accused of “sexually assaulting a female Marine corporal in October 2014 by forcibly kissing her on the mouth and later making derogatory remarks about her.”

It also listed other charges of previous sexual assault complaints against Tomko, in the past — one in which was in the civilian courts but was later withdrawn in January after an administrative complaint was upheld.

Tomko had come to the regiment after a year-long tour as the 2nd Marine Division’s operations officer out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He enlisted in 1983 and has experience as an infantryman and special operations officer according to reports.

….

Update

On December 12, 2017, WTKR reported:

Todd Tomko, a United States Marine, faced a judge Tuesday morning in Virginia Beach’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations court,
requesting a bond be set in the case against him.

Tomko is charged with seven felonies; three counts of custodial indecent liberties, three counts of aggravated sexual battery with a victim under the age of 13 and one count of endangerment and cruelty to children.

The 54-year-old served in the USMC for 33 years, some of it as an infantry officer and the final part of his career with the Wounded Warrior Battalion.

Defense counsel said Tomko has three children who live in Germany with his ex-wife. Jarrett McCormick, his lawyer, said Tomko is not a threat to society and not a flight risk but the Commonwealth’s Attorney argued against setting a bond.

Court records show Tomko had three victims, all known to him. In court the judge denied the defense counsels request for bond.

….

Tomko’s attorney said he plans to appeal his bond hearing and the case will likely go on front of a judge again on Monday. At that time a preliminary hearing date will be set.

 

Black Collar Crime: Convicted Rapist Michael Mercado Says His Crime Was God’s Will

2 Comments

michael mercado

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.

Convicted rapist Michael Mercado believes God wanted him to marry his victim. Mercado, however, was already married. Mercado’s crime was reported to church officials. It is unclear whether they reported Mercado’s behavior to law enforcement.

Johnathan Hogan, a reporter for the Idaho State Journal, writes:

When Michael Mercado’s ex-wife caught him having sex with a minor, he told her it was God’s will that he take this woman as his second wife.
District Judge Joel Tingey wasn’t buying that defense Monday when he sentenced Mercado, 48, to five to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor.

“I considered a rider program. As with probation, I think that minimizes the damage done,” Tingey said.

Mercado of Idaho Falls was arrested in June after the relationship was discovered. He was charged with sexual battery committed by lewd or lascivious acts on a minor child 16 to 17 years of age. The charge was amended to rape where the victim is 16 or 17 years of age.

During Mercado’s sentencing, the ex-wife read a victim impact statement to Tingey about how her former husband’s actions had affected her.
She said Mercado had tried to guilt-trip her for reporting him, and when she spoke to a church leader about the abuse, told her to call him back and deny her earlier statements. She said Mercado said they should stay together, and that the abuse would stop if she didn’t report it.

“After this, I don’t know what part of my relationship was real,” Mercado’s ex-wife said. “I used to think the worst thing that could happen in a marriage was to have my husband cheat on me, but I was wrong, so very wrong.”

The woman said she was disgusted by the harm he had done to the victim, and said she did not feel safe with her ex-husband free.
“At this time, I would ask the court to extend the full wrath of the law to Mr. Mercado,” she said.

The victim of Mercado’s abuse agreed.

“I know that he can get life in prison, and that’s what I want,” the victim, now 18, said in her victim-impact statement.

She said she met Mercado when she was 13, and he said he wanted to get to know her better. He told the victim he had prayed, and God told him they should marry.
Mercado proposed to the then 17-year-old girl in May, and said he had even looked up how much time he may face in prison if caught. The victim said she typically went along with what Mercado wanted for fear of how he would react if she said no.

“He also brainwashed me to think it was OK to rape me,” the victim said.

John Thomas, Mercado’s defense attorney, acknowledged the unusual nature of the case, but said his client’s actions would not have been a child sex abuse crime if he waited six months.

…

He argued, however, that his client needed treatment for sex addiction, pointing out that Mercado had four marriages that failed because of cheating. Thomas also said his client has no criminal history.

“I just don’t think this is a prison case,” Thomas said. “I certainly don’t think it’s a life-in-prison case.”

….

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical South African Church Covered Up Sexual Abuse for Decades Says Victims

1 Comment

george donald

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.

George Donald, a former youth leader at Hatfield Christian Church in Pretoria, South Africa was convicted recently and sentenced prison for sexually abusing several young girls. Now, one of his victims is accusing Hatfield Christian of covering up sexual abuse.

Zelda Venter, a reporter for IO, writes:

For decades, pastors at Hatfield Christian Church covered up the sexual abuse of several young girls by one of its youth leaders.

In the same week that the Constitutional Court deliberated on the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases, George Donald, 67, was sentenced in the Pretoria Regional Court to a total of 11 years’ imprisonment, of which he has to serve an effective six years.

This was for raping his biological daughter, Marijke Donald, now Mwathi, over several years in the 1980s, as well as his foster daughter – who does not want to be named – for months while she lived with the family in Pretoria.

The rape and sexual abuse of Marijke, 40, started around the time she was 3 and ended when she was about 12.

Her foster sister, who was about 10 at the time, eventually told Marijke’s mother, who does not want to be identified. The mother turned to the church authorities for guidance.

Both parents received counselling and the advice of the church elders at the time was that they should pray and talk to each other.

In an e-mail exchange with Hatfield Christian Church last year, Marijke accused the then church leaders of turning a blind eye to the serial abuse and protecting a rapist. She said they told her mother that it was “church policy” not to go to the police or to take a “Christian brother before a heathen judge”.

They also told her mother, Marijke said, that if she had been a better wife, Donald would not have abused the girls. But while the counselling with church elders continued, Donald continued to rape her, Marijke told the Pretoria News.

She now lives in Scotland, but returned to Pretoria last week, with her brother Jason Donald, author and award-winning filmmaker, who lives in Switzerland, to see their father go to jail.

“I don’t hate him, but I wanted to see him go to jail for what he had done to me,” she said.

Donald, who is wheelchair-bound, pleaded guilty to two charges of rape. Due to his advanced age and the fact that the crimes occurred in the 1980s, he was sentenced according to the law of the time.

If the rapes occurred after the new Sexual Offences Act came into effect, he could have faced life behind bars.

“The investigating officer asked whether I wanted to talk to him after he was sentenced,” said his daughter. “I faced him after all these years and told him I no longer hated him, but he had to go to jail.”

Donald, who lived in London, was extradited to South Africa to account for his crimes after about 30 years.

In a statement to court before sentencing, Marijke said: “As a child I lived in a home where our family portrait was that of God-loving people who served Christ through the church.

“We helped those in need, but behind this perfect family impression lay a sinister secret of a man who thrived on the ability to control, manipulate, lie and abuse many around him.”

Marijke said it was not only sexual abuse she had been subjected to, but also emotional abuse. “As a child growing up in that environment, I lived in fear, confusion and hypervigilance If only the church went to the police or removed him as youth leader.”

The abuse only stopped when the family moved to Scotland in 1990 and her mother eventually divorced him.

“Once it was discovered that George was abusing me, it was me who was punished. No one went to the police or had him arrested and charged to keep me safe.

“Not the church, not the doctor who examined me and not my mother. He even remained as a youth leader.”

She said she decided a few years ago to report the rapes and sexual abuse to the authorities. “I decided to forgive him Not for him to be freed, but for me to release myself from him To live with what George has done to me is one thing, but I could not live with the knowledge that he has harmed others.”

Around the same time Marijke was raped, another young member of the church, Elizabeth van der Merwe, was also being abused.

She said that while the church service was going on, he would take her to a room elsewhere on the premises, ostensibly to prepare for the youth service.

She counted the steps to this room, where he abused her. She could still remember exactly how many there were, she said.

….

Hatfield Christian Church apologizes to George Donald’s victims.

Marijke Donald’s foster sister, Cordelia, has decided to publicly tell her story. Annie Brown, a reporter for The Mirror-UK, writes:

A rapist who abused his daughter from the age of four told her “it is better for a girl to be broken in by her father rather than a stranger.”

Devout Christian George Donald, 67, began abusing Cordelia Donald when she was two.

He raped her, sometimes twice a week, from the age of four until she was 10.

Now Cordelia, 40, has bravely spoken out about the horrific abuse which a church covered up, the Daily Record reports.

When Cordelia’s mother found out about the abuse and went to pastors in the church where Donald was a volunteer youth leader, she was told that it was against “church policy” to take a “Christian brother before a heathen judge” or the police.

Her mother was also told the abuse wouldn’t have happened if she had been a better wife.

….

This week Donald, from Dundee, who was living in South Africa at the time of the crimes, was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping Cordelia and a 10-year-old girl in the 1980s.

….

Cordelia has chosen to speak about her ordeal as she fears there are other victims of her father who have yet to come forward.

The family emigrated from Scotland to South Africa when Cordelia, who has three brothers, was 10 months old.

Donald began abusing her when she was two. He raped her, sometimes twice a week, from the age of four until she was 10.

The abuse only lessened when another female victim reported to Cordelia’s mother that she had been abused.

But when her mother reported the abuse to pastors at Hatfield Christian Church in Pretoria, she was shrugged off.

….

To the outside world, Donald, a supermarket manager, was the epitome of the perfect husband and father, a charismatic and upright Christian who worked tirelessly with children.

Cordelia said: “Behind this perfect family impression lay a sinister secret of a man who thrived on the ability to control, manipulate, lie and abuse many around him. I was victim to sexual, physical, psychological and emotional abuse.

“As a child growing up in this environment, I lived in fear, confusion and hyper vigilance. I would jump if I heard a car pull up or a lock turned. I was constantly scared.”

Cordelia was so traumatised that from the age of three, she pulled her hair out and bit her nails until her fingers bled.

She was so desperate not to be a girl and a target for her dad that she imitated being a boy, even trying to urinate standing up.

Her dad threatened to harm her mother and brothers or kill her family pets if she revealed their “secret”.

She said: “I felt that by saying nothing, I was protecting my family.”

Donald told her it was normal for dads to behave sexually with their little girls.

….

 

Black Collar Crime: Catholic Priest Felix Broussard Still Awaiting Trial on Child Porn Charges

0 Comments

pastor felix broussard

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.

Felix Broussard, pastor of St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana is still awaiting trial on child pornography charges. According to a previous news report, Broussard “repented” after every time he looked at child porn [the blood of Jesus making pedophiles and sexual predators “clean” for 2,000 years].

Ken Stickney, a reporter for The Daily Advertiser, writes:

The Rev. F. David Broussard, charged 16 months ago with 500 counts of possession of child pornography, may yet get his day in court.

But it didn’t happen Monday in 16th Judicial District Court in St. Martin Parish, where he was scheduled to appear before Judge Vincent J. Borne. Broussard’s name was called in court simply as “Felix Broussard,” but he did not appear before the judge after court officials scoured the courtroom to see if the defendant was present to stand. Court officials said they were not fully certain why Broussard was absent.

….

A priest for more than two decades, Broussard was arrested in July 2016 after a repair technician discovered more than 500 images of child sex abuse on Broussard’s personal computer. Broussard had brought the computer in for repairs and the technician, after discovering the images, was required by law to report the crime.

Broussard had been assigned to St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge at the time of his arrest; he was also chancellor at the church school.

A police investigation revealed the images were on Broussard’s computer for about two years. None of the images were of local children, authorities said.

On the weekend after his arrest, Broussard sent a letter of apology to his parishioners by way of Most Rev. Douglas Deshotel, bishop of Lafayette, who offered Masses at St. Bernard that weekend and read the letter to parishioners.

Nonetheless, Broussard personally entered a plea of not guilty to the possession of child pornography charges in May before Judge Paul de Mahy.

At his arrest, Broussard was suspended from his priestly duties by Deshotel. Church law says sex with minors is a sin of adultery and are considered criminal. If he is convicted, the church could convene a tribunal for Broussard, and remove him from the priesthood.

….

In August 2016, KATC-3 reported:

The Breaux Bridge priest arrested on child pornography charges told investigators he knew viewing the images was wrong and that he “‘repented’ after every episode,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by our investigative team.

Father David Broussard was arrested on July 27 on 500 counts of child pornography after images allegedly were found Broussard’s computer. The images included both male and female children ranging in age from infancy to 12 years old, and included photos of children involved in sexual activity with other children and adults, according to the arrest affidavit.

During an interview with investigators, Broussard allegedly admitted that he used the computer to search and view child pornography.

The computer was found at Broussard’s office or living quarters at St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church, where Broussard was a priest, according to the affidavit.

Investigators examining the computer learned that it had be used from July 2014 to July 2016 to search for child pornography. Genealogy searches for the surname Broussard were also made on the computer in close proximity of searches for child pornography, according to the arrest affidavit.

….

The initial report in the case of David Broussard, the priest arrested on child pornography charges, indicates State Police were initially contacted by the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office on July 15. The State Police Special Victims Unit found that multiple searches for child pornography were made on Broussard’s computer between July 2014 and July 2016, the document states.

The computer was “personally owned” by Broussard. The desktop had more than 500 images of child sexual abuse saved, the document states.

The computer was located a Broussard’s living quarters at the St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge where he was pastor.

….

Black Collar Crime: Baptist Pastor Mark Whitaker Charged With Forgery and Fraud

0 Comments

pastor mark whitaker

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.

Mark Whitaker, assistant pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church (his father’s church) in Portsmouth, Virginia, stands accused of forgery, passing forged checks, and identity fraud.

Scott Daugherty, a reporter for The Virginian-Pilot, writes:

A Circuit Court judge ordered the public out of the courtroom on Monday afternoon so prosecutors and defense attorneys could argue two motions relating to Councilman Mark Whitaker’s case in private.

Retired Hampton Circuit Judge William Andrews III cleared the room after a defense attorney indicated he planned to discuss grand jury testimony the court previously ordered sealed.

A Virginian-Pilot reporter objected to the move, prompting Andrews to ask a deputy to escort everyone out.

Whitaker, assistant pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, is charged with 11 counts of forgery, seven counts of passing forged checks and two counts of identity fraud.

The charges stem from an investigation Sheriff Bill Watson initiated into Whitaker’s church, its development company and its now-defunct credit union.

Whitaker’s trial was originally set to start Monday, but the judge postponed it until March 21 so the defense could argue various motions.

Whitaker’s attorneys asked Andrews earlier this year to toss the entire indictment. Jon Babineau and Don Scott argued that the special grand jury process was tainted. They took issue with how Portsmouth Circuit Judge William Moore Jr. recused himself from handling Whitaker’s case after overseeing the grand jury and how Watson and one of his investigators had publicly denounced Whitaker.

The attorneys also argued the court should dismiss 15 of the counts because of insufficient evidence. They noted that two of the victims identified in the indictment have come out in support of Whitaker. Malinda Starkley, who worked at the church and credit union, and Caroline Larosiliere, Whitaker’s sister, say that if Whitaker signed their names to any documents, he did so with their permission.

Special prosecutor Andrew Robbins countered that there is no evidence Moore was biased against Whitaker. He also argued that because Capt. Lee Cherry and Investigator Brett Johnson of the Sheriff’s Office were involved in the original investigation, it made sense for the court to order them to assist the grand jury, along with a special agent from the U.S. Treasury Department.

….

Whitaker’s church bio page states:

Dr. Mark Micaiah Whitaker is the third of four children born to Bishop James M. and Otelia McIntyre Whitaker of Portsmouth, VA.  He is married to Dr. Ingrid Whitaker, who serves as a Tenured Associate Professor of Sociology at Old Dominion University.  Dr. Mark and Dr. Ingrid Whitaker made history on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 by becoming the first married coupled elected to Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth School Board.  They are the proud parents of four children – *****.

Dr. Whitaker was educated in the Portsmouth Public School System.  In 1983, he graduated 4th in his class with honors from the great Manor High School and was named to the First Team All-State Boys Basketball Team.  Dr. Whitaker furthered his education at Virginia Tech where he was the recipient of a full-athletic scholarship in basketball, served as President of the Black Student Alliance, was listed as Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science.  In 1989, Dr. Whitaker received a Masters of Business Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. Moreover, in 1993, Dr. Whitaker received the Doctor of Jurisprudence (Law Degree) from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where he served as President of the Black Law Students Association in 1992 and 1993 and served on the College of Law Honor Council.  Dr. Whitaker has done further studying in the R.B. Pamplin College of Business Doctoral Program at Virginia Tech and the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union in the Masters of Divinity program.

Dr. Whitaker presently serves as a Tenured Associate Professor of Management at the historic Hampton University.   In 1992, Dr. Whitaker was licensed as a minister and ordained in June of 1995.  Moreover, Dr. Whitaker serves as the Assistant Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA where his father, Bishop James M. Whitaker has served as the Pastor since June of 1964 and his mother, Otelia McIntyre Whitaker, is the Minister of Music.  Under the direction of his father, Dr. Whitaker initiated an endowment fund ministry at the church, computerized the operations of the church and church credit union, received over $1 million from the Virginia Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant for after-school tutoring and summer enrichment programs for elementary and middle school students in the Cavalier Manor neighborhood, expanded the catering business of the church, coordinated the purchase of the former Bona Villa 15 acre apartment complex, created the New Bethel Development, LLC , reorganized the Diaconate Ministry, and developed the Wednesday night Christian Development Institute.

In May 2002, Dr. Whitaker was elected to the Portsmouth School Board as the youngest person ever elected and served until December 2014.  As a School Board Member, Dr. Whitaker served as chair of the Minority Contracting Committee and the Corporate Sponsorship Committee.  Moreover Dr. Whitaker was very instrumental in the School Board implementing a Minority and Women Business Enterprises Program, Middle School Athletics Program, Pay Equity Study, and in advocating for social justice and respect for all.

Dr. Whitaker is one who believes that, through Christ, we can do all things.

In April 2017, Daugherty reported:

Councilman Mark Whitaker was indicted Thursday on 20 felony charges of identity fraud, forgery and using forged checks.

A special grand jury impaneled to hear evidence about Whitaker’s church, New Bethel Baptist Church, and its development company and its now-defunct credit union returned the indictments.

Eleven counts alleged forgery, seven “uttering a forged check” and two identity fraud. Most of the charges stem from August 2013, but two are from October 2014.

Three people were identified as victims in the paperwork – Kevin Blount, Caroline Larosiliere and Malinda Starkley. New Bethel’s website lists a Malinda Starkley as a deacon.

….

Whitaker previously blasted the grand jury investigation as politically motivated, noting that Sheriff Bill Watson was involved in the initial inquiry. The two are longtime political foes, with each accusing the other of racism and grandstanding over the years.

A source familiar with the case told The Pilot that Watson had his employees start the investigation, and then they looped in the U.S. Treasury Department.

….

According to court documents, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office, Treasury and the federal agency that regulates credit unions first presented evidence to Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Morales. But she asked the court in January to assign a special prosecutor, citing a conflict of interest “and to avoid the appearance of impropriety.”

Chief Circuit Judge William Moore Jr. impaneled the nine-member grand jury Tuesday to look into the church, the financial relationships between its entities and transactions between those entities and their members, among other things.

….

After Robbins presented the charges to the jurors, eight of whom appeared to be black and one white, it took about an hour to return with signed indictments.

Earlier Thursday, an attorney representing the church said she did not believe any crimes had occurred.

“If they indict anyone in this matter, it would be an absolute tragedy,” said Verbena Askew, who accompanied a half-dozen church employees Tuesday and Wednesday while they testified to the grand jury.

Over the past month, Askew has repeatedly argued the jury was not legally able to return an indictment. She continued questioning that ability Thursday.

….

James and Mark Whitaker run the church at 4212 Greenwood Drive and are involved in its development company. Whitaker headed the church’s credit union before it was liquidated in August 2015 because the National Credit Union Administration determined it would never be able to “restore viable operations.”

The church started the development company about 11 years ago to buy a dilapidated rental complex next door, but financing dried up, and New Bethel Development defaulted on a $2.9 million loan, with the church as collateral.

A third party took control and arranged to sell it so the bank could get its money back. The buyer, Herman & Kittle, wants to build 280 apartments there. But the project didn’t get City Council approval after pressure from residents in the Cavalier Manor neighborhood, and Herman & Kittle is suing.

….

 

Black Collar Crime: Pastor Romello Leach Accused of Having Sex With Teen

1 Comment

romello leach

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.

Romello Leach, pastor of several unidentified churches, was accused on Wednesday of sexually assaulting a teen girl and impregnating her.

The Gazette reports:

An El Paso County minister arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of sexual assault on a child is accused of impregnating a 14-year-old girl, arrest records show.

According to an arrest affidavit, Romello Leach, 22, and an unidentified girl whose parents Leach knows from church had sexual intercourse at least twice since late 2016.

Leach was arrested and booked into the El Paso County jail Wednesday. He faces four counts of felony sexual assault by one in a position of trust with someone under the age of 15 and four counts of felony sexual assault by one in a position of trust with someone between the ages of 15 and 18.

Arrest records show the girl did not tell anyone about her pregnancy until her mother noticed in May that she had “a larger belly.” On May 17, the affidavit said, her mother took her to the Colorado Springs Pregnancy Center, where they told an employee that the daughter had been impregnated by Leach. The daughter said she and Leach had sexual intercourse twice – once in November 2016 and again in February or April 2017.

….

The affidavit details a recorded telephone conversation obtained by deputies in which Leach’s ex-wife asked him, “So you didn’t sleep with that girl and get her pregnant?” Leach replied, “It happened.”

She then asks why he would sleep with a 14-year-old girl and get her pregnant when he knows her parents. Leach said “he knows he has made the worst mistake” and that “it is not like he will go around and sleep with everybody’s 13 or 14-year-old daughter,” the affidavit says.

During another recorded phone call between Leach and an unidentified person from Nov. 21, arrest records say Leach admitted to having sexual intercourse with the girl on at least four occasions and being the father of her child. He “admitted the behavior was wrong,” and said he was “full of lust” at the time.

The affidavit says the girl gave birth to the child, which Leach admitted was his, on Sept. 15, about two months after her 15th birthday.

….

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Youth Pastor Christopher Gattis Charged With Three Counts of First-Degree Murder

3 Comments

christopher gattis

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.

Christopher Gattis, a youth pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Richmond, Virginia, stands accused of murdering his wife, stepdaugther, and the stepdaughter’s boyfriend.

Fox News reports;

A Virginia youth pastor has been arrested in the shooting deaths of his wife, stepdaughter and the stepdaughter’s boyfriend in their home on Thanksgiving Day, police said.

Christopher Gattis, 58, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Police arriving at the family’s Chester, Va., home around 11:30 p.m. found the women’s bodies inside and the man’s body in the front yard, officials said.

 

Authorities identified the victims as Jeanett Gattis, 58; her daughter Candice “Candy” Kunze, 30; and Kunze’s boyfriend, Andrew Buthorn, 36. All of them lived together in the home, police said.

Neighbors said Kunze recently moved back home from Oregon, with Buthorn joining her. Neighbors also said the family runs a furniture store in nearby Petersburg, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported.

Gattis was a youth pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, where he was a ministries coordinator for middle school and high school students.

“Members of Grace Lutheran Church are deeply saddened by the loss of life last night as a result of three individuals being shot in Chester, and this tragedy included members of Grace Lutheran Church,” the church said in a statement.

….

Update

A November 27, 2017 Richmond Times-Reporter story by Ali Rickett reports:

A 58-year-old youth ministry director at a Chester church appeared in court Monday for the first time since he was charged with allegedly killing his family on Thanksgiving night.

Christopher R. Gattis faces three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Jeanett L. Gattis, 58; his stepdaughter, Candice L. Kunze, 30; and Andrew E. Buthorn, 36, his stepdaughter’s boyfriend. All three victims lived with Christopher Gattis in a home in the 14900 block of Dogwood Ridge Court, according to police, who found Buthorn in the front yard and the two women in the kitchen around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.
It was Christopher Gattis who told the alarm company to send police, according to Elizabeth Caroon, a spokeswoman for the Chesterfield County Police Department. He was located outside the home and surrendered without incident.

Gattis was arraigned Monday in Chesterfield General District Court and in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
“Why am I in two different courts?” Gattis, who appeared by video from Riverside Regional Jail where he is being held without bond, asked the judge during his second arraignment.

Because two of the victims were family members, those cases were heard in domestic relations court, while the case involving Buthorn was in General District Court. They will likely be combined if the charges are certified by a grand jury and brought up to Circuit Court.

Gattis spoke clearly and calmly, though he hesitated at some of the legal questions, looking to someone off camera for prompting before answering. When he spoke, he tried to use his hands, which were cuffed together.

Both judges denied setting bond and appointed him an attorney, who can request a bond hearing later.

….

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Youth Pastor Joseph Niemeyer Pleads Guilty to Sex Crimes

2 Comments

joseph niemeyer

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.

Joseph Niemeyer, youth pastor at New Banklick Baptist Church in Walton, Kentucky,  pleaded guilty yesterday and will spend at least seventeen years in prison for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl.

In February 2016, Fox-19 reported:

A youth pastor at the New Banklick Baptist Church in Walton is facing sexual abuse charges, church officials confirm.

Joseph Niemeyer, 53, is facing three felony counts of Sexual Abuse, Rape and Sodomy. He is accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl over a three-year period, court documents show.

“Mr. Niemeyer actually came to the Independence Police Department and spoke to detectives and basically self-reported,” Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders said.

Court documents show the alleged abuse occurred at Niemeyer’s home in Independence.

“Mr. Niemeyer volunteered at Twenhofel Middle School for the past three years,” said Jess Dykes who is a spokesperson for the Kenton County School District.

Dykes said Niemeyer helped as a volunteer with a group known as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The group he worked with is a very small group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders who meet once a week before school, according to Dykes.

“He did help. He did help lead prayers and read Bible scriptures,” Dykes told FOX19 NOW. “He was never alone with any of the students that he was volunteering with.”

Dykes told FOX19 now that all volunteers are required to have a background check each year they volunteer, including Niemeyer. She says all of his background check reports came back clean.

FOX19 NOW asked Dykes, “Does the district have any reason to believe that there was anything that went on between Mr. Niemeyer and any of these children?”

“Not at this time. But, we are cooperating with police in any way, shape that we need to,” she said.

School officials say, at this time, Niemeyer is not allowed to volunteer in the district. The student he was working with have all been notified of what is going on, Dykes said Thursday night.

Niemeyer and his wife worked as youth pastors at the church, according to Tim Cochran, the pastor at New Banklick.

“I’m very sorry to hear what has happened in his home and we’re just praying for the family, praying this all goes well,” Cochran said. “This is a pretty big deal. It’s like a kick in the gut. He was my friend. I’m shocked really. Never in a million yeas would I have guessed anything like this.”

Independence police say they are looking into the possibility of more victims. Sanders said to expect a large investigation due to Niemeyer’s role with the church.

….

Yesterday, Niemeyer pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree sodomy.

Fox-19 reports:

A former youth pastor and school volunteer will spend at least 17 years behind bars after admitting guilt on charges of sexual abuse and sodomy of a minor.

Joseph Niemeyer, 56, worked with youth at the Banklick Baptist Church in Walton until he was arrested in February 2016. He also volunteered at Twenhofel Middle School.

On Monday, Niemeyer pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count first-degree sodomy, all against a girl younger than 12.

Under the plea agreement, Niemeyer will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He could spend up to 20 years in jail and must serve 17 years before being parole eligible, according to Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders.

Niemeyer and his wife worked as youth pastors at the church, according to Tim Cochran, pastor at New Banklick.

….

 

Black Collar Crime: Thieving Evangelical Pastor Terry Wells Pays Restitution to Avoid Prison

0 Comments

pastor terry wells

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.

Terry Wells, pastor of My Brother’s Keeper Outreach Ministries in Trenton, New Jersey, avoided prison Friday by paying restitution to a family he bilked out of thousands of dollars.

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman, a reporter for The Trentonian, writes:

The Rev. Terry Wells, 42, pastor of My Brother’s Keeper Outreach Ministries, duped a family into financial loss over two years ago but appeared in Mercer County Superior Court on Friday to try to make things right.

Dressed up in a suit and tie, Wells formally presented the victimized family with $5,300 via cashier’s check on Friday. He still owes $6,700, and the state has the right to terminate his plea agreement and prosecute him on numerous counts of credit card theft, forgery and theft by deception if he fails to pay the balance by Jan. 5, 2018.

Wells gained the trust of the local family through his ministry and then exploited them as the unwitting victims of his deception. The whole shebang is presented as a misdemeanor under his plea agreement, but the pastor was originally accused of achieving self-enrichment through a staggering set of devilish deeds.

A grand jury in April 2016 handed up a 23-count indictment charging Wells with a litany of offenses on allegations he bilked thousands of dollars from the victimized family and spent their cash and charged their credit cards throughout Mercer County.

Wells, a Trenton resident, fell from grace in 2015 after police in Ewing, Lawrence and Hamilton charged him with theft-related crimes. Court records show he was committed to jail on Oct. 13, 2015, but got released the next day on bail, which was set at 10 percent of $80,000 cash bail. All of those charges were merged into one case that became the 23-count indictment.

Seeking to resolve the matter without going to trial, Wells accepted a plea agreement that calls for prosecutors to dismiss the 23-count indictment in exchange for him pleading guilty to one count of a downgraded theft charge and agreeing to pay $12,000 in restitution to the victimized family.

….

In addition to his 2015 theft by deception case that spawned the 23-count indictment, court records show Wells has also been charged with third-degree insurance fraud for an incident that occurred in Trenton on Jan. 30.

Black Collar Crime: Jehovah’s Witnesses Refuse to Turn Over Documents Detailing Sexual Abuse Allegations

0 Comments

jehovahs witnesses

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.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to turn over internal documents detailing reports of church leaders who have been accused of sexually abusing children:

The governing body of the Jehovah’s Witness church received another rebuke this week by a state appeals court for “obstinately” refusing to turn over internal documents about knowledge of church leaders who have been accused of sexually abusing children.

The ruling, filed Thursday by the 4th District Court of Appeal, upholds a $4,000-a-day penalty against Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York for its failure to comply with a court order in a lawsuit filed by a man who claimed to have been molested in the 1990s.

Here, Watchtower has abused the discovery process. It has zealously advocated its position and lost multiple times. Yet, it cavalierly refuses to acknowledge the consequences of these losses and the validity of the court’s orders requiring it to produce documents…,” the opinion concluded.

The fight for these internal documents has been at the center of not only this lawsuit, but a similar one that accuses the same leader of molestation.

Church elders knew Gonzalo Campos had molested a boy as early as 1982 but did not remove him from interacting with children, according to evidence revealed in the cases.

In one lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court in 2012, Jose Lopez said he was 7 when a church elder in a Linda Vista congregation suggested Campos mentor him. Campos molested the boy at Campos’ La Jolla home one day in 1986, according to the lawsuit. When church leaders were told, they said they would handle the situation, the lawsuit says.

Campos became more involved with another congregation in La Jolla in 1987. In 1994 or 1995, Campos molested Osbaldo Padron, a church member there, when he was 7 or 8 years old, according to Padron’s 2013 lawsuit.

Campos later confessed to abusing at least eight children between 1982 and 1995. He fled to Mexico around 2010, said Irwin Zalkin, the lawyer for both alleged victims.

Watchtower has argued that the court’s order to turn over the documents is too burdensome and overbroad, and also that Watchtower does not have access to such records after 2001, but a church corporation does.

In both lawsuits, Watchtower has rebuffed court orders to produce documents about current of former leaders accused of molesting children and has heavily redacted the records it has turned over.

In the Lopez case, a Superior Court judge found Watchtower to be noncompliant and eventually terminated the organization’s right to be heard in the case.

Watchtower appealed, questioning why the judge didn’t use lesser measures to gain compliance, such as monetary sanctions. The appeals court agreed last year, saying the terminating sanction had been too harsh and reversed a $13.5 million judgment that had been imposed. That case is still being litigated.

But when the issue came up in the Padron case, and a different Superior Court judge imposed financial sanctions — $4,000 a day for not producing or searching for the ordered documents — Watchtower complained it was unfair.

….