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Black Collar Crime: Catholic Priest Scott Kallal Charged With Sex Crimes

Bruce Gerencser 3 Comments

scott kallal

Scott Kallal, assistant pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Overland Park, Kansas and St. Patrick Catholic Church, Kansas City, Kansas, was charged Friday with “two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.”

KCTV-5 reports:

Authorities say a Catholic priest charged in Wyandotte County with child sex crimes has been arrested in Maryland.

The Wyandotte County prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday that the Rev. Scott Kallal was charged Friday with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Online court records show the 35-year-old was arrested Monday in Rockville in Maryland’s Montgomery County.

Prosecutor’s office spokesman Jonathan Carter said he didn’t know whether Kallal had an attorney. No details were provided about the allegations.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced last week that Kallal was pulled from public ministry duties after two sources accused him of “boundary violations.” The archdiocese said its preliminary investigation “revealed violations of some of the archdiocese’s safe environment guidelines which all clerics, employees and volunteers are asked to observe when interacting with young people.”

The archdiocese said Kallal’s suspension was announced during Masses at Overland Park’s Holy Spirit Church and St. Patrick Church in Kansas City, Kansas. He served at both.

An initial statement from the archdiocese said Kallal “denies any moral misconduct or malicious intent and has agreed to undergo evaluation and counseling.” In a follow-up statement Tuesday, the archdiocese said that it would continue to “cooperate fully” with law enforcement, and that anyone with information about priests, deacons, employees or volunteers engaging in inappropriate conduct should report their concerns.

Fox-4 adds,  in a report that is quite sympathetic to the Catholic Church and its “rare” sexual abuse/misconduct/rape/sexual assault/pedophilia problems:

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Parishioners at St. Pat’s and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park just learned of the allegations the weekend of July 15-16, when it was announced during mass that Fr. Kallal had been relieved of his duties.

While incidents like this are relatively rare, the church says it remains committed to ensuring no child becomes a victim.

The inside of a Catholic Church is often beautiful, and a place where many find comfort. But allegations and criminal charges against church leaders like Fr. Scott Kallal can tarnish its prestige.

“The church is in the business of saving souls and in spiritual life. They’re experts in spirituality. But they’ve brought in experts now and worked together with them to ensure safety of children is a top priority,” said Carrie Cooper, director of the Office of Child and Youth protection for the Kansas City, Mo. Archdiocese.

Cooper’s job was created out of controversy. Nearly six years ago, the Kansas City, Mo. Archdiocese created the Office of Child and Youth Protection after Fr. Shawn Ratigan was sent to prison for child pornography. There is a similar office in KCK, with which Cooper’s office often works.

Cooper says a lot of good changes have happened in recent years to prevent abuse, and to report it, which includes getting police involved right away.

“The civil authorities are the most important. It is their job to sort those things through and do those investigations. So that’s definitely what we want to happen first,” said Cooper.

There are also more intensive background checks for every school and church employee and volunteer. Those individuals also go through intense trainings on child and sexual abuse. That training is also given to kids in parishes and Catholic schools.

“They’re offered training on what is a safe boundary, what is grooming, what is predatory behavior and what do I do to protect myself as a child,” Cooper said.

If anyone breaks a boundary, kids are asked to tell a trusted adult. And if that adult broke the rules, they should keep telling trusted adults until it is taken seriously.

“The goal of all these efforts really is to make sure children are safe. That’s absolutely the most important thing,” Cooper said.

There’s also an independent review board, composed of non-church members who look at every allegation made against someone within the church. The Kansas City, Mo. diocese also has an ombudsmen — a former prosecutor that looks closely at each case.

As for Fr. Kallal, he was said to be attending counseling before his arrest in Maryland. He will be brought back to Kansas within the next few weeks to answer to the charges here.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Bible Teacher Timothy Myers Busted in Sex Sting

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments

busted

Timothy Myers, a Bible teacher at SonRise Church in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, was arrested last month and charged with “unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal use of a communication facility.”

WPXI reports:

A Westmoreland County Bible study teacher is the latest person accused of trying to meet for sex with a person he thought was a teenage boy, police say.

Timothy Michael Myers, 32, of Latrobe, is the third person to be arrested in two days, accused of trying to meet with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old boy.

Myers is accused of exchanging sexual messages with the undercover agent, and then showing up to try and meet the person for sex.

Myers volunteered at a Greensburg church where he worked with children and taught a Bible study class within the past month.

He was arrested Wednesday evening after agents said he showed up at a Hempfield Township hotel thinking he was meet with a 14-year-old boy.

Agents were waiting for him when he arrived and, when questioned by investigators, Myers allegedly told them, “I hadn’t made up my mind if I was going to have sex with him, but I was prepared.”

The agent who posed as a boy online said the conversation began on a social networking app.

Myers is not facing charges for anything pertaining to the Bible study class or the church. The church’s pastor said Myers was not on the staff of the church and served only as a volunteer. The pastor said Myers was never left alone with children, and the church works to provide a safe environment for everyone.

The pastor added that Myers’ attendance and volunteerism is no different than anyone else’s at the church, and he is not credentialed or on staff in any capacity.

Police said Myers admitted to what happened and gave them a written statement.

Trib Live adds:

Unity man who had newly purchased condoms when he arrived at a Hempfield hotel, allegedly to have sex with a person he believed was a 14-year-old boy, was raising funds for a church mission trip, according to authorities.

Timothy Michael Myers, 32, who picked up condoms at a Wal-Mart store 10 minutes before he was scheduled to arrive at the meeting location on Wednesday, instead was met by a state Attorney General’s Office agent.

Myers is charged with unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal use of a communication facility. He posted $50,000 bond Friday.

Myers had been seeking donations on a GoFundMe page for a mission trip to Peru in July. An establishment there is connected to the Greater Johnstown Christian Fellowship, according to the page. Senior Pastor James Gay said Friday that Myers has no affiliation to the Johnstown church and will not travel on the mission trip.

On the GoFundMe page, Myers asked that donations for the trip be sent to SonRise Church in Unity Township. A message left at a number for the church was not returned Friday afternoon. Pastor Allen Runyon told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI that Myers volunteered with a Bible study group there and was always in the presence of another adult.

The donation page has raised $2,255, with a $2,200 goal.

Investigators said in a criminal complaint that Myers messaged a person he thought was a 14-year-old boy on a popular social networking smartphone application. Police did not name the app.

Myers allegedly solicited the boy for sex acts and arrived at the hotel with two condoms just before 6 p.m., when he was arrested. Police did not name the hotel. They found an opened box of condoms and a receipt for them in his car.

Myers admitted to the communication but told investigators that he hadn’t decided if he would go through with the sex encounter, according to the affidavit.

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Robbie Conn Stands Accused of Social Security Fraud

Bruce Gerencser 9 Comments

busted

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.

William “Robbie” Conn, pastor of Jeffersonville Assembly of God in Jeffersonville, Kentucky, along with his wife Tonya, stand accused of Social Security fraud.

Lex-18 reports:

A federal grand jury indicted a Montgomery County pastor and his wife. Both are accused of committing fraud involving the Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare programs.

The indictments for William “Robbie” Conn and his wife Tonya came down earlier this month in United States District Court for the the Eastern District of Kentucky in Lexington.

They allege Conn and his wife defrauded the government programs of more than $100,000 over six years.

The court documents said William Conn, a longtime pastor at Jeffersonville Assembly of God, learned he had a heart problem that required surgery in May 2009.

According to the indictment, Conn applied for Social Security Disability, and it was granted.

The indictment alleges the church board then agreed to pay William Conn’s salary to his wife Tonya. In doing so, “William ‘Robbie’ Conn could receive social security benefits, while still receiving a salary from Jeffersonville Assembly of God,” the indictment states.

It goes on to allege Conn continued to receive benefits while working until 2015.

Conn and his wife both face seven counts each with a possible five years of prison time or more for each count.

We reached out to Conn and his wife several different times but never heard back.

Churchgoers said off-camera that they were shocked by the allegations. One said Conn called the accusations “not true” at a service Wednesday night.

….

Black Collar Crime: Bellingham Baptist Church Music Director and Youth Pastor Convicted of Sex Crimes

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments

pastor christopher trent

Last month, Christopher Trent, youth pastor at Bellingham Baptist Church in Bellingham, Washington, was convicted of sexually abusing a church girl.  Bellingham Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church.

Caleb Hutton, a reporter for The Bellingham Times had this to say about Trent’s crimes:

The ex-youth pastor of a Bellingham church grimaced, wept, and struggled to breathe in court Wednesday, as he listened to a teenage girl – standing feet away – describe the lasting harm he caused when he raped her countless times.

Christopher Lee Trent was sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexually abusing the girl, who went to Bellingham Baptist Church on Orleans Street when she was under the age of 16.

Court records describe how he kept the abuse a secret for about 2 years.

Trent, 37, graduatedfrom Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma, where he met Josh Carter, the future pastor of the Bellingham church.Trent moved across the country with his wife and seven children in June 2013, after Carter asked if he’d be interested in a youth pastor job.

Over the next three years, Trent supervised children at church activities, preached in front of the main congregation at times, and led classes about how adults can prevent child abuse in the church.

Meanwhile, he started driving the girl home from church. She visited his home often, and she came to think of him as a kind of father figure. Over time he started showing affection by giving her “side hugs,” and later hugging her chest-to-chest. In text messages he told the girl he loved her and wanted to kiss her. Eventually he promised to marry her at a gazebo on a beach when she turned 18.

The girl later estimated that over months, he sexually abused her over 100 times – so often she lost count. Months before the abuse came to light, the girl’s mother noticed her phone bill showed hundreds of texts from Trent’s number, sent at 1 or 2 a.m., where he talked about holding and loving the girl. According to a letter the mother wrote to police, she confronted Trent, but he laughed and denied anything inappropriate had happened. She warned him to not touch her daughter, and blocked Trent’s number, but did not contact police.

Trent and the girl switched to texting over private apps on their phones.

Trent’s wife found explicit pictures of the girl on his phone, too, but he convinced her the girl must have sent them by accident and to the wrong person, according to reports summarized in a Department of Corrections investigation.

The head pastor confronted Trent in 2016, because others had noticed he had an oddly close relationship with the girl. Then a member of the church found a letter that fell out of Trent’s Bible, where the girl talked about Trent holding her close. Both Trent and the girl denied that anything sexual had happened between them, when Carter spoke with them.

Trent was fired. His family was given a month to move out of a church parsonage. No report was made to police until a couple of weeks later, on July 11, 2016, when another church member told police Trent was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a girl. As detectives started to investigate, the girl revealed Trent had been sexually abusing her, at the church, in the car behind the church, and in their homes.

Much later the girl told authorities the abuse was even worse than she had first reported: Trent called her his “sex slave,” and forced her to endure sex acts that left her bleeding and in pain for days. He would monitor her conversations with boys and, at times, told her not to eat. She feared he would kill her, if it would keep his secret from getting out.

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Trent pleaded guilty in March to four counts of third-degree child rape. He had no prior criminal record. No other charges of sexual abuse emerged. He told authorities that, a decade before his arrest, he worked with special needs kids in Franklin Township on the outskirts of Indianapolis, in his home state of Indiana.

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[Judge] Montoya-Lewis said she found it extraordinarily frustrating that, in her reading of the law, she could not hand down more prison time [five years]. She reiterated to the girl and her family that the crime was not their fault: It was Trent’s alone. She turned to Trent, and told him his behavior had been “insidious and terrifying.”

“You cannot hide behind the concept of sin, as you have represented to the court. These were poor choices,” Montoya-Lewis said. “They were your choices, over years. You had every opportunity, every day, to stop what you were doing to this child, and you chose to continue.

“It is not in the court’s authority or ability to hand out forgiveness,” Montoya-Lewis continued. “But I listened to what happened to (the girl), and I read about her experiences, and your response to that. And it is unforgivable.”

paul bane

Yesterday, Bellingham Baptist music director Paul Bane was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually molesting a church girl.

Hutton reports:

A former music director at Bellingham Baptist Church must serve time in prison for molesting a girl for years, a Superior Court judge has ruled.

Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis sentenced Paul Michael Bane to 5 years in prison, the same amount of time she handed the church’s youth pastor, Christopher Trent, a month ago in a separate case of long-term sex abuse of a different girl.

Bane, 57, arrived at the Bellingham police station one morning in October 2015 to confess he had been sexually touching a girl for about 8 years, according to court records. At that point police had not spoken with the girl, who was living in the Midwest, but Bane told police the girl’s story, whatever it might be, could be trusted.

According to his report, Bane became a kind of father figure to the girl when she was younger. The sexual abuse began around the time the victim turned 12 years old. Bane would kiss her, sexually touch her, and later, started tying her with a clothesline during sex acts.

When she went to college years later, she revealed the abuse to a counselor, who encouraged the girl to report the matter to police. For about 1 ½ months, she told Bane she had been considering coming forward. Bane confessed to his pastor, Josh Carter, who told Bane he needed to turn himself in. He did and told police he’d thought of moving across the country to be near the victim.

Police called her at her Bible college. She was, at first, reluctant to help in the case. The young woman had other things going on in her life, and she still cared about Bane, she reported. About a month later, she decided to go to police, because she did not want the same thing to happen to another girl. In an interview with a detective in a Oklahoma, she described in graphic detail how Bane abused her as often as twice a week, or daily, through her teenage years.

An investigator with the Department of Corrections noted that in the police interview the young woman didn’t know basic sexual terms, or basic things about female anatomy. She seemed sheltered, and appeared Bane had groomed her for sexual abuse. He treated her with affection he did not show other children. He would buy her gifts, candy, or food. After Bane abused her, he would apologize.

In the victim’s version, the abuse mostly stopped after 4 ½ years, though there were two more instances of sexual contact when she was a young adult.

Police booked Bane into jail in December 2015. He was released without being required to post bond. He remained out of jail until May, when he pleaded guilty to second-degree child molestation and two counts of third-degree child molestation.

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A public defender, Darrin Hall, described Bane as “somebody who does not connect with adults,” but for whatever reason, he found he connected with the girl. Bane’s actions look and feel predatory, but in reality, Hall said, they seem to be rooted in his immaturity. Bane will undergo sex offender treatment while serving time in prison.

…

[Judge] Montoya-Lewis admonished Bane for statements he made during the investigation, when he claimed his “relationship” with the victim was consensual, and when he brushed aside criticism from people who were concerned about how he acted around her.

“It is inconceivable to me,” Montoya-Lewis said, her voice halting, “that you could suggest to this victim that her compliance was something that God wanted.”

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Eddie Hilburn Arrested on a Prostitution Charge

Bruce Gerencser 4 Comments

eddie hilburn

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.

Eddie Hilburn, an associate pastor for The Woodlands First Baptist Church in The Woodlands, Texas, was arrested yesterday on a prostitution charge.

Click 2 Houston reports:

A pastor in The Woodlands was arrested on a prostitution-related charge.

Eddie Hilburn, who is an Associate Pastor at The Woodlands First Baptist Church, is charged with prostitution.

Hilburn, 52, was arrested on Wednesday.

The church released a statement that read, “The Woodlands First Baptist Church is still gathering information regarding our staff member Eddie Hilburn. We can assure you that a statement will be issued once all facts are known, and administration has had an opportunity to review them. We appreciate your patience in the meantime, and we continue to look to God for guidance.”

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ABC-13 added:

Hilburn appeared in court Thursday morning just hours after he had been arrested in a hotel.

Charging documents allege Hilburn paid an undercover Harris County Sheriff’s deputy $80 for sexual activities. Soon after the alleged money exchange, deputies moved in to arrest him.

According to Hilburn’s bio page:

Eddie began serving at The Woodlands First in July of 2012. He has served as Senior Pastor of churches in Texas, has planted a church in Wisconsin, and has served as student pastor.

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In addition to graduating from East Texas Baptist University, Eddie also earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

At the Woodlands First, Eddie coaches other staff members as they live out their calling, leads the reFresh Wednesday night event, and occasionally preaches on Sunday. Eddie feels like he wins when the other staff members win.

Update

On January 8, 2018, CBS-13 reported:

A pastor in The Woodlands who was arrested last summer on a charge of soliciting a prostitute pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year of probation.

Eddie Hilburn, 53, was arrested at a hotel in July 2017 during a sting operation.
READ MORE: The Woodlands pastor charged with prostitution

According to charging documents, Hilburn paid an undercover Harris County Sheriff’s deputy $80 for sexual activities. Soon after money changed hands, deputies moved in and arrested him.

Hilburn served as an associate pastor at the Woodlands First Baptist Church. After he was released on bond from the Harris County Jail, Hilburn resigned from his post.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Walter Williams Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Sexual Assault

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments

walter williams

Walter Williams, pastor of Walk of Faith Church of Christ in New Haven, Connecticut, was sentence today to three years in prison for “second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.”

The New Haven Register reports:

A New Haven pastor has been sentenced to serve three years in prison for second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Walter Williams, who was 59 at the time of his arrest last July, lives in Northford section of North Branford. He is senior pastor at the Walk of Faith Church of Christ in New Haven, according to the church’s website.

Police said he was accused of having as many as six sexual encounters with a minor who was a member of the church. According to police, the incidents occurred between July 2015 and April 2016.

The victim’s mother contacted police after she discovered text messages between her daughter and Williams on her daughter’s phone, police said. The mother told police she also saw a graphically disturbing Facebook message from Williams to her daughter.

The encounters happened at Williams’ home and at the church, police said.

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When he was arrested, Williams was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor and two counts of illegal sexual contact.

Under the plea arrangement he made with the state, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. Both are felonies.

The agreement specified Williams was to receive a sentence ranging from nine months to five years in prison. His attorney was given the right to argue for a lenient sentence.

After hearing the arguments from Paz and Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Mary SanAngelo, Superior Court Judge Philip Scarpellino imposed a total sentence of 12 years, to be suspended after three years served, with 10 years of probation.

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Williams’ bio on Walk of Faith’s website states:

Pastor Walter Williams III is the senior pastor of Walk of Faith Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ in New Haven, Connecticut. He is a native of Newburgh, New York and the fifth child of seven children. Pastor Williams attributes his teaching in ethics, morality, hard work, character and integrity to his parents, William and Sadie Tallie.

Pastor Williams’ spiritual foundation was developed at Mt. Carmel Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, under the leadership of Bishop George W. Johnson, where he was an active member of the choir and the youth group. While in the United States Air Force and stationed in Las Vegas, pastor prayed for God to help him with his gambling challenge. With a heart to live a committed life to God, shortly after his prayer, Pastor Williams recommitted his life to the Lord and he answered God’s call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At the age of 24, Pastor Williams served as the senior pastor of a 34 year old congregation in New Haven, Connecticut. After four years of intense pastoral on-the-job training, the visionary within Pastor Williams founded the Walk of Faith Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ in 1986.  As a man of vision, Pastor Williams is committed to: serving God with the spirit of excellence, community activism, equipping saints for ministry and creating an atmosphere where the power of God and deliverance will have full reign in the lives of believers as they fulfill their ordained kingdom purposes of God.

Pastor Williams is married to Dorothy Fay (Lady Fay) and they are the proud parents of six children and four grandchildren.

UPDATED: Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Youth Pastor Alexander Roesly Asks 13-Year-Old to be “Friend With Benefits”

Bruce Gerencser 4 Comments
alexander roesly

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.

Alexander Roesly, youth pastor at Praise Chapel Church of God in Union City, Indiana, has been charged with one count of child solicitation.

Channel 4 reports:

A youth pastor in Randolph County has been accused of using Snapchat to send juveniles sexual messages.

In the messages, the sheriff’s department says 19-year-old Alexander Roy Roesly asked a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl if they wanted to become “friends with benefits.”

Deputies say Roesly is a youth pastor at the Chapel Church of God in the northeast side of the county. The 15-year-old girl was reportedly an attendee of the church.

The sheriff’s department says it began investigating on July 5 and interviewed Roesly on July 19. During the interview, the department says Roesly “admitted that he was the person who had sent the messages to the juveniles.”

Roesly was charged with one count of child solicitation as a level 5 felony for the messages sent to the 13-year-old girl. In Indiana, a person must be over 21 years of age for the child solicitation charge to apply to messages sent to a 15-year-old.

Roesly was booked into the Randolph County Jail and held on a $8,000 bond.

In 2018, Roesly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence and one year of probation.

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.

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Black Collar Crime: Pastor Walter Diggles Set to Stand Trial on Fraud Charges

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments

walter diggles

Walter Diggles, pastor of Lighthouse Church of God in Christ in Jasper, Texas, was arrested and charged with fraud, as were his wife and daughter.

In December 2015, the Beaumont Enterprise reported:

The executive director of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments schemed with his wife and daughter to illegally divert more than $1.3 million in federal grant money intended for hurricane assistance, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Walter Diggles, Rosie Diggles and Anita Diggles were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Walter Diggles, 62, was charged individually with eleven counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft from a program that receives federal funding, and three counts of money laundering.

Rosie Diggles, 61, his wife, also was charged individually with 10 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

Anita Diggles, 39, faces only the conspiracy charge.

The government also seeks the forfeiture of $1.3 million, which approximates the amount of the Diggles’ theft.according to the federal indictment.

All three pleaded not guilty Monday in a Beaumont federal courtroom.

Attorneys for the Diggles family called the charges “sensational, but unsubstantiated.”

Walter Diggles has been DETCOG director since 1990 and pastor of the Lighthouse Church in Jasper County since 1980, the indictment stated.

He also ran the Deep East Texas Foundation, a non-profit created in 2005, according to the indictment.

DETCOG, though not a government agency, operates on behalf of an association of city and county governments. It received federal, state and local grant funds to finance and administer programs throughout a 12-county region.

According to the indictment, the Deep East Texas Foundation received about $4.4 million in Social Service Block Grant funding from 2007 to 2012.

The foundation continued to conduct operations even though the Texas Secretary of State forfeited its charter around 2007, according to the indictment.

Walter Diggles defrauded the federal government by inflating the amount his foundation needed for social service programs and taking the difference for personal use, the indictment alleges.

Walter Diggles had single-signature authority over the foundation’s bank account at First National Bank in Jasper, where he also received monthly payments for his service on the bank’s board, according to the indictment.

In a brief statement on the courthouse steps before the hearing, the Diggles’ attorneys characterized the indictment resulting from the government’s 2014 raid of DETCOG headquarters in Jasper and the two-year investigation as a “fundamental misunderstanding of how federal and state block grants work.”

Ryan Gertz, lead attorney for Walter Diggles, said the DETCOG block grants are given on a reimbursement basis rather than by contract and that “the entire indictment reflects a misunderstanding of this simple fact.”

….

According to a July 19, 2017 article in the Beaumont Enterprise, jury selection has begun, with opening arguments expected later today.

Black Collar Crime: Pastor Victor Tax-Gomez Charged With Molesting Children

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments

victor tax-gomez

Victor Tax-Gomez, pastor of El Senor Justicia Nuestra Church in Menlo Park, California, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting several church children.

The Almanac reports:

After spending a little more than a day at the San Mateo County jail, the pastor of a Menlo Park church arrested on suspicion of sexual assault of children as young as 13 was picked up June 2 by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Victor Elizandro Tax-Gomez, 47, from East Palo Alto, is a pastor at the El Senor Justicia Nuestra Church, located in the 1300 block of Chilco Street in Menlo Park. The church leases space in another church at that location, police said.

According to Detective Salvador Zuno of the Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Tax-Gomez was booked into the county jail on Thursday, June 1, around 11:40 a.m. and released after posting bail the following day around 7:20 p.m.

He said that the Sheriff’s Office had responded to a request by ICE agents to learn Mr. Tax-Gomez’s release date. The agents showed up at the jail, where custody of Mr. Tax-Gomez was transferred at a secure area inside the jail.

According to ICE spokesperson James Schwab, Mr. Tax-Gomez has also used the last name Oliveros-Cano. He was using that name when he was previously arrested in July 2003 by border patrol agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency after he attempted to illegally enter the U.S., Mr. Schwab said.

….

Mr. Tax-Gomez was arrested on suspicion of several acts of sexual assault after three alleged victims, all female, reported the alleged incidents to the police.

According to Mr. Wagstaffe, the three alleged victims were attendees at the church and were ages 13, 15 and 17 at the time of the alleged assaults.

The assaults allegedly took place at the church facility, in the church office and at a small house next to the church between September 2011 and May 2015, he said.

Mr. Tax-Gomez has been charged by the District Attorney’s Office with seven felony counts: several counts of digital penetration in addition to sexual battery and child molestation, he said.

According to Mr. Wagstaffe, Mr. Tax-Gomez remains in federal custody for now, but his office plans to ask for an increase in bail so that he returns to county custody to continue the prosecution process. Mr. Tax-Gomez’s bail had previously been set at $100,000. His next court date is Tuesday, July 11.

Yesterday, Tax-Gomez appeared before a judge and pleaded not guilty. SF-Gate reports:

A Menlo Park pastor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he molested three minors in the church office between 2011 and 2015, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.

Victor Tax-Gomez, also known as Ever Oliveros-Cano, was a pastor at Greater Friendship Baptist Church where the victims’ families were members of the congregation, prosecutors said.

Two of the victims were sisters and the third was a friend. Their ages at the time of the alleged offenses were 15, 17 and 13.

Tax-Gomez allegedly committed the crimes while “claiming to be praying with or cleansing the victims,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

“It’s always a more egregious offense when one takes advantage of a position of trust,” Wagstaffe said. “That’s a very significant violation.”

A March 1, 2018 Palo Alto Online report states that Tax-Gomez pleaded no contest and will be sentenced on April 13, 2018:

An East Palo Alto man who was the pastor of a Menlo Park church has pleaded no contest to felonies tied to sexual battery and molestation of three teenage girls in his parish.

The plea comes on the condition of eight years in state prison.

Ever Oliveros-Cano, 50, also known as Victor Elizandro Tax-Gomez, was arrested last June on suspicion of sexually molesting teens who attended the church he led as pastor, El Senor Justicia Nuestra Church, located in the 1300 block of Chilco Street in Menlo Park. The church leases space from Greater Friendship Baptist Church.

According to prosecutors, Oliveros-Cano sexually molested, on separate occasions, three teenage girls – two sisters and a friend – who were 13, 15, and 17 at the time. The crimes allegedly occurred while Oliveros-Cano claimed to be praying with or “cleansing” them, at the church office and a small house next to the church.

Two years later, one of the victims reported the crimes to a therapist, who then reported the information to the Menlo Park Police Department.

Oliveros-Cano was initially charged with seven felonies: several counts of digital penetration in addition to sexual battery and child molestation and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was previously arrested by border patrol agents in July 2003 after attempting to illegally enter the U.S., according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson James Schwab.

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Black Collar Crime: The Cover-up Continues at Temple Baptist Church in Kokomo, Indiana

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment

pastor mike holloway

Please read previous posts on this scandal: Black Collar Crime: Woman Claims Evangelical Pastor Mike Holloway Knew She Had Been Sexually Abused and Did Nothing and Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Mike Holloway Denies He Knew Anything About Woman’s Sex Abuse Claim, Black Collar Crime: Another Victim Comes Forward in Temple Baptist Church of Kokomo Sex Abuse Scandal, Black Collar Crime: The Temple Baptist Church of Kokomo Sex Abuse Scandal Continues. and Black Collar Crime: Alleged Victim Count Up to Ten in Temple Baptist Church of Kokomo Sexual Abuse Scandal

Today, The Kokomo Perspective released another episode in their ongoing coverage of the Temple Baptist Church sex scandal. Devin Zimmerman writes:

The brother of Dawn Price, Daniel Croddy, came forward last week, claiming that Temple Baptist Church and his father used him in what appears to be an attempt to smear his sister.

Earlier this year, Price made news after she went public with claims that her father, Don Croddy, molested her and multiple other young girls in the early ‘90s and late ‘80s while he attended Temple Baptist Church. The church, led by Pastor Mike Holloway, got tangled in the story because Price alleged that Holloway was made aware of her molestation at the hands of her father in 1991 but allowed Don to stay at the church and never contacted the authorities.

Now, Price’s brother claims the church’s leadership had him sign three affidavits denying his sister’s claims in trade for bringing him to Kokomo and helping him out of homelessness. Months later, still homeless and unable to get the church to return his calls, Croddy said the majority of the claims in the affidavits aren’t true.

“I’ve been homeless for like two-and-half years, and when all this sh** went down a couple months ago they promised me they would take me to Kokomo, set me up, and get me a job,” said Croddy. “Once they got what they needed from me, they just kind of dumped me. To tell you the truth, all I wanted to do was not be on the street. So I signed those damn affidavits.”

In total, Croddy said he was asked by Temple Baptist Church leadership to sign three affidavits. One stated he had never been physically abused as a child by his father, as his sister has claimed he was. The second, according to Croddy, stated that he “never saw anything with Dawn.” The final affidavit centered on an attempt by Price to extort money from her father around the late 1990s.

Croddy said that the first two affidavits, even though he signed them, aren’t true.

“To tell you the truth, all I was looking to do was not be homeless,” said Croddy.

The third, however, he said is true. Croddy claimed that he happened to visit his former Kokomo home just after a letter, sent by Price and her then-husband Andy Thornton, arrived at the home of Don. The letter, according to Croddy, requested thousands of dollars in exchange for Price not telling the authorities about her allegations of molestation.

Price acknowledged that she sent such a letter around 2000.

“I was going through a rough time. I was having horrific nightmares,” said Price. “My husband, Andy, we were both young. We didn’t know how to help me. It was to the point where he was like, ‘We need to cut off all communication because you having anything to do with them is making you (suicidal).’ I was almost suicidal at that point. He decided to write a letter, which I signed. I couldn’t tell you what was in the letter at this point. He doesn’t even remember writing the letter.

“We wrote a letter saying, ‘If you give us this amount of money, we are going to make what you did public.’ We sent it, and that was the end of it. We didn’t pursue anything and completely forgot about it. My parents, on the other hand, I asked them about it a couple years ago. They were just like, ‘We understand where you guys were coming from. You were upset and hurt; your husband was trying to protect you.’ And we threw out the letter.”

Months after Croddy signed the affidavits at the behest of Temple Baptist Church, he said he’s upset because the church and Don haven’t acted on what they promised him in exchange for his signature.

The Kokomo Perspective obtained a recording of a phone call between Croddy, Holloway, and Temple Baptist Church Associate Pastor Jim Willoughby that occurred prior to the signing of the affidavits. The recording backs a number of Croddy’s claims.

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The pair went on to discuss various claims against Price, and Willoughby asked Croddy to elaborate on an earlier conversation where he said he had not been abused as a child. Croddy affirmed this claim, but he since recanted this statement and said that he was physically abused as a child.

“Don Croddy was a f****** monster,” said Croddy. “I mean, I knew something was going on (with Price), but it was really hard to see it, you know? He kept me scared. There was no safe place as a child for me … When I was 10 he stopped using a paddle and started using farm implements wherever he could hit me. There were times I wasn’t allowed in school until the bruises went away.”

Later in the recording, Holloway entered the room and began speaking with Croddy.

After introducing himself as “preacher,” Holloway asked how Croddy was doing and said, “Hey, you have really helped us a lot, Danny. I owe you big time.”

Holloway continued and asked if Croddy needed anything and asked, “Can I help you get back on your feet? Can I do something to help?”

The following exchange occurs between the pair:

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You can read the rest of the article here.

Temple Baptist Church Abuse Survivors Facebook Page

Bruce Gerencser