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.
Corey Herthel, pastor of Green Bay Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was accused of attempted production of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to a minor.
A Green Bay pastor, Cory J. Herthel, has been arrested and charged with multiple online crimes allegedly aimed at a child in Venezuela, according to an article by WeAreGreenBay.com. The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and include attempted production of child pornography and transfer of obscene material to a minor. The complaint alleges that the 40-year-old pastor had first encountered the child during his missionary work in Venezuela, subsequently maintaining contact through online channels.
Herthel is alleged to have solicited inappropriate videos from the minor in exchange for monetary payments, further incriminating himself by reportedly sending the child explicit images of himself. The sustained contact and transaction of obscene materials form the basis of the charges, exposing the child to grave psychological and emotional harm.
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Investigation into this case is being jointly conducted by the FBI offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee, working in collaboration with the Green Bay police department. These combined efforts aim to thoroughly assess the extent of Herthel’s actions and secure all necessary evidence to strengthen the prosecution’s case.
If convicted, Herthel faces significant legal consequences. The charge of attempted production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, extendable up to 30 years in federal prison. The charge related to the transfer of obscene materials could add another ten years to his prison sentence. In addition to the potential jail time, a conviction on either charge would necessitate that Herthel register as a sex offender, marking him permanently in the public record.
Today, Herthel pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
Cory J. Herthel, 40, pled guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor on Thursday.
According to a plea agreement, the church where Herthel worked as a pastor contacted the FBI in May regarding information it had obtained about a potential inappropriate sexual relationship between Herthel and a Venezuelan minor.
An investigation revealed that Herthel had sent the child videos of himself masturbating, and the child sent similar photos and videos at Herthel’s request.
Herthel said he met the child begging on the streets during a mission trip to Ecuador. After the child and the child’s mother returned to their native Venezuela, Herthel kept in touch with the child.
When confronted with the explicit images and videos, Herthel admitted to asking the minor to send him the content, as well as to sending monetary payments to the child using various online applications.
Herthel will receive his federal prison sentence of at least 15 years on Dec. 4. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Allen Jones, pastor of Lifeway Community Church in Loxley, Alabama, stands accused of child pornography possession. Lifeway Community is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
A 48-year-old pastor at a Loxley church has been arrested and charged with four counts of possession of child pornography, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Allen Kyle Jones of Loxley was taken into custody after a weeks-long investigation which began after the sheriff’s office received a tip Jones was downloading child porn.
After the initial tip, investigators developed enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for Jones’ cell phone, with child pornography found on the device.
According to both his own LinkedIn profile and the church’s Facebook page, Jones has been a pastor at Lifeway Community Church since January 2015. The address listed for Jones on the Baldwin County Jail docket is the church’s address at 16373 Thompson Road in Loxley.
Jones has been formally charged with four counts of possession of obscene matter containing the visual depiction of a person under 17 years of age. He was booked into the Baldwin County Jail Tuesday morning and released later that day after posting $60,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation remains open and more charges are possible after additional evidence is analyzed.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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 Baldwin, an employee for Valley Christian Schools in San Jose, California, stands accused of felony possession and distribution of child sexual material.
Police in California are calling on victims to come forward to assist a child pornography investigation into a San Jose Christian school system facility worker arrested for allegedly giving students money to send him explicit images and videos.
Todd Baldwin, a 43-year-old employee at the Valley Christian Schools, was arrested last week and charged with felony possession and distribution of child sexual material.
On Aug. 16, the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s Child Exploit Detail was notified that a member of the facilities department at Valley Christian Schools was “in possession of explicit digital media of juveniles,” according to a public notice from the San Jose Police Department.
Investigators identified Baldwin as the staff member who “allegedly paid students for providing the explicit images and video.” The task force arrested Baldwin the next day and served a search warrant for his campus office and San Jose residence.
Baldwin was booked at Santa Clara County Main Jail.
According to investigators, Valley Christian Schools immediately cooperated and assisted with the investigation. Authorities have not yet released information about where the alleged crimes took place or the ages of students involved.
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In a statement released to media, the school stated that it is “deeply disturbed by the actions outlined in these charges” against Baldwin and that those actions are “antithetical to our Christian faith, values, and standards.”
“Upon learning of the allegations, we fully cooperated with authorities,” the statement reads. “Additionally, we placed the individual in question on administrative leave.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Benjamin Roberts worked for several church-sponsored childcare facilities in Abilene, Texas. He was arrested in 2018 on child sex crime and child pornography charges. Law enforcement focused on Wylie Baptist Church Child Development Center.
An Abilene man with a history of working with kids has been arrested on child sex crime and child porn charges.
Benjamin Russell Roberts, 24, is charged with indecency with a child and possession of child pornography. His bond was set at $150,000 on each charge.
Roberts was arrested Wednesday after police served a warrant in a north Abilene home. Roberts “admitted to and was found to be in possession of child pornography,” according to the arrest report.
Abilene police said they had info that an unknown person downloaded child pornography from July 19 through Sept. 26, 2017. The investigation began on Feb 27.
On Wednesday, the cyber crimes division was able to identify Roberts as the person who was downloading child porn at his residence. Police said he lived at a community outreach home.
Police seized several devices — a Dell laptop, two iPhone 4s, a Samsung Galaxy, Sony USB — which contained child pornography. They also found “one pair of children’s underwear,” said Sgt. Lynn Beard. No children lived at the home.
Beard said Roberts admitted “to inappropriately touching a child under 12 years old last year.”
According to police, Roberts has worked at least three places where he was in contact with children, including the Wylie Baptist Church’s Child Development Center, Southern Hills Church of Christ daycare and the Beltway Park Church youth program.
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Beard said each of the entities was “completely shocked” when they told them. He said one of them described Roberts as one of their best teachers.
The director of the child development center at Wylie Baptist Church has been fired.
The director’s dismissal comes in the wake of the arrest of a 24-year-old Abilene man on child sex crime charges. Before being taken into custody last week, Benjamin Russell Roberts had previously worked at Wylie Baptist Church’s Child Development Center and youth programs associated with at least two other Abilene churches.
Wylie Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor Mike Harkrider issued a statement Wednesday.
“As you all know Wylie Baptist Child Development Center has been working closely with the Abilene Police Department and the Department of Family and Protective Services in regards to the Benjamin Roberts investigation. At this point in the investigation, the acting director of the Wylie Baptist Child Development Center, has been released from her position as per the Department of Family and Protective Services. The investigation is still ongoing and this is all we know at this time. We are in heartfelt prayer for all of those involved in this difficult situation — Wylie Baptist Church CDC Board of Directors”
When asked the name of Wylie Baptist CDC director, Harkrider said, “The information given on the previous email is all that we can give at this time.”
A south Abilene church daycare involved in a child sex crime investigation has been cited 19 times by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services since March of 2016.
Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said that they have been working closely with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services during this investigation.
On the DFPS website, it states that the Wylie Baptist CDC was cited 19 times for deficiencies during inspections, with risk levels ranging from medium to high.
Three of the citations involved supervision of children and had a high risk level.
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Police also said on Wednesday that the director was fired and could face charges. Wylie Baptist CDC was cited March 9, 2016 after “it was determined that the director is not routinely present at the operation,” according to DFPS.
Roberts, who did not have a previous criminal record, had passed a background check, but the child care center was twice cited, April 28, 2016 and August 10, 2016, for not updating background checks on its employees.
After police reviewed surveillance footage at Wylie Baptist Church and spoke with concerned parents, they discovered six of his victims.
There are a total of eight confirmed victims, according to police, and the crimes that Roberts is accused of include indecency with a child and “two or more acts of sexual abuse against children younger than 14.”
A mother reported to police that she found her child in the bathroom with Roberts, and while Roberts reportedly denied any sexual contact, the child told his mother that Roberts kissed him on the mouth and on other parts of his body.
On April 4, the child was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center, where he also told authorities what Roberts had done to him.
Another child was interviewed at the CAC and told police that “Mr. Ben” would “tickle his tummy and rub his back.”
The child also reported that Roberts touched his private area at least two times.
A mother of one of the children in Roberts’ room at the daycare reported that she observed her child sitting on Roberts’ lap on three occasions and that she felt it was “inappropriate.” During a forensic interview, the child reported that Roberts would “slide his hands up her legs when he picked her up.” The child also reported that he would tickle her “belly and feet.” The child also reported that when she was in the playground, she ran up to Roberts and he touched her chest and then “said he was sorry.”
In surveillance footage captured between September and December of 2017, police discovered more evidence of Roberts inappropriately touching victims at Wylie Baptist Church CDC.
In March 2019, Roberts was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison,
Benjamin Roberts was sentenced March 1 to 20 years in prison by a federal court, Abilene police said in a news release Friday.
He was charged at the federal level with child pornography and still faces state charges for continuous sexual abuse of a child and second degree felony indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Roberts was a worker at Wylie Baptist Church’s Child Development Center when he was accused of indecency with a child and possession of child pornography, according to Reporter-News archives.
Abilene detectives began investigating Roberts in February 2018 after serving a search warrant on a residence in the 400 block of Cockerell Drive in northeast Abilene, where a resident was downloading child pornography, police said Friday.
Roberts was arrested March 28 on charges of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony, and indecency with a child, a second-degree felony.
In addition, a Taylor County grand jury in June indicted him on one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
In August, police said the local charge of possession of child pornography had been dropped.
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Roberts, who had been working at Wylie Baptist Church Child Development Center for two years, previously was employed at a daycare at Southern Hills Church of Christ and with youth programs at Beltway Park Church.
Last year, police said Roberts had at least five different victims, all under the age of 14.
Police said they reviewed surveillance footage from the Wylie child care center.
In the footage, court documents said, Roberts acted inappropriately with children, including forcing them to straddle him, tickling them until they squirmed and touching them in inappropriate places.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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 Fourcade, a children’s minister at First Christian Church of Norman, Oklahoma, stands accused of four counts of lewd acts to a minor and two counts of possession of child pornography. First Christian is affiliated with The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Christopher Fourcade was arrested and charged with four counts of lewd acts to a minor and two counts of possession of child pornography. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy said he was in a position of authority as a trusted adult, fostering children and working in a church.
“Oftentimes, these predators will enter as a ruse with churches because they feel that is a safe place where they’ll be trusted,” Dorman said.
The First Christian Church of Norman, where Fourcade worked, said he’s no longer an employee, and the investigation doesn’t involve any of their children. They also said no adults work one-on-one with children.
Fourcade also volunteered at multiple local organizations. Some told KOCO 5 volunteers are under the direct supervision of staff, while others said they didn’t have contact with children.
Fourcade was arrested Thursday evening and was in the Cleveland County Jail but has since bonded out.
An affidavit revealed more details in the case describing Fourcade making the victims feel comfortable to be alone with him. The OICA said it may be an example of grooming, but there are ways parents can spot potential predators.
Christopher Fourcade, 48, director of children’s ministries at First Christian Church in Norman, has been arrested on four counts of lewd acts with a child and two counts of child pornography possession, according to the Norman Police Department.
The Norman Police Department responded to a Norman residence on Dec. 28, 2022, where the reporting party said a caregiver facilitated lewd acts with a child.
An investigation was immediately initiated, and additional juvenile victims were identified, officials said. Norman police obtained an arrest warrant Thursday.
Fourcade was also a member of Fostering Futures, a Cleveland County nonprofit organization that provides “financial and emotional support for children and their families who receive services from the Cleveland County Child Welfare System.”
The church is aware of the arrest of Chris Fourcade. He is no longer employed by the church. While the investigation and arrest does not focus on any children from the church, our staff is fully committed to the truth, and is fully cooperating with any requests regarding the investigation. It is the church’s practice to never have adults alone with children, and we remain vigilant in that practice.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
In November 2022, Leonard Eley, pastor of Storm Shelter Ministries in Laurel, Delaware, was accused of soliciting nude photos from a runaway child and using church funds to pay for them. Eley later blamed PTSD from a traumatic brain injury while he was in the military for his behavior.
A Delaware pastor allegedly paid a runaway child for several nude photos of herself, and authorities suspect he may have done the same with other minors.
Leonard Eley, 62, who heads Storm Shelter Ministries on U.S. 13 in the Sussex County town of Laurel, used $200 of church funds to pay the child electronically through CashApp, and paid her cell phone bill, authorities said in court records. The child, whose age was not disclosed, was a former member of the church, police said.
Only one alleged victim is specified in Eley’s arrest affidavit and indictment but Mat Marshall of the Attorney General’s Office said that based on interviews with witnesses, authorities suspect there are more victims.
Eley faces charges of sexual solicitation of a minor, two counts of possession of child pornography, and theft by false pretenses.
Laurel police began investigating in late July after calls to hotlines run by the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Division of Family Services that reported a child was possibly “being sexually trafficked.”
The pastor was arrested then just on the solicitation charge, and released on a $30,000 secured bond. A Sussex County grand jury indicted Eley on all four charges on Nov. 28, and this week authorities announced the alleged crimes in a news release.
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In one exchange, Eley told the girl she “has too much clothes on in one picture,’’ and asked her to remove some and send another picture. He added that he “is sending $50 on CashApp,” the detective wrote.
In another text exchange, Eley asked her to do the same thing, promised to send $150 this time, and that “no one will ever see the pictures but him,’’ the affidavit said.
Eley also asked her numerous times to “delete the messages” between them, Whitehouse wrote.
The child told authorities she did what he asked, and received $200, Whitehouse wrote, adding that he “observed CashApp receipts” sent from Eley to the child.
The indictment said the money came from “church donations made to the Storm Shelter Ministries CashApp Account.”
WHYY News reached Eley by phone Wednesday, but in response to queries, the pastor said “no” three times and then hung up.
Whitehouse wrote in the arrest affidavit that “pastor eley” was listed as a contact in the girl’s cell phone, and the number matched Eley’s number.
The girl’s phone also included a “selfie” photo sent from Eley’s number that matched his driver’s license picture, Whitehouse wrote.
Whitehouse reviewed several texts between Eley and the child, the affidavit said.
When detectives confronted him, police said Eley confessed to asking and paying for the pictures. He told police he had PTSD from a traumatic brain injury he encountered in the military. He cited his PTSD as the reason he requested the pictures. Police said they captured Eley’s confession on a body cam.
Detectives said Eley instructed the victim several times to delete the conversations between them and made other lewd statements to her.
Storm Shelter Ministries was incorporated in September 2005, but its listed status is “unknown,” according to Bizapedia. The church’s Facebook page is currently unavailable.
The child is the only victim mentioned in Eley’s arrest affidavit and indictment, but based on interviews with witnesses, authorities believe there are more.
The Delaware DOJ continues seeking more information from the public and is asking for help identifying more victims.
Authorities released Eley from custody on a $30,000 secured bond. In November, a Sussex County grand jury indicted Eley on all four charges.
Eley remains out on bond as he awaits his court date. He has not entered a plea yet.
His arraignment will be in early January.
On April 5, 2023, Eley pleaded guilty to the sexual solicitation of a minor.
Leonard Eley, a former pastor of Storm Shelter Ministries in Laurel, pleaded guilty to Sexual Solicitation of a Minor on April 5th.
As previously reported, Eley used money stolen from the church to pay a minor to send nude photos.
Eley had already served 31 days in prison and was sentenced to 6 months home confinement, according to the Delaware Department of Justice. That confinement is set to be followed by 18 months of probation as well as lifetime registration as a Tier II sex offender.
Additional terms of his probation reportedly include mandatory treatment, a no contact order, and agreement to not seek employment working with children or as a pastor.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Daryl Hayes, pastor of Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee, stands accused of sexually exploiting a minor.
Members of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force recently arrested Daryl Hayes, 50, following a Williamson County Grand Jury indictment for six counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The WCSO-ICAC Task Force began investigating Hayes after receiving a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning the upload of child sex abuse material from a local church’s internet connection, where Hayes was the lead pastor. The investigation led to a search warrant being executed at the church and Hayes’ residence.
Neither Hayes’ family, nor the church where he was pastor — Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ in Franklin — were aware of Hayes’ activities. The church was fully cooperative and Hayes was terminated from his position immediately. Nothing in this investigation led detectives to believe there were any local child victims, or any additional concerns for the public.
Church members and neighbors are in shock after the pastor of a Franklin church was arrested for sexually exploiting minors.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said Daryl Hayes, 50, was charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is the lead pastor at Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ. He is accused of using the church’s internet connection to upload images of child sex abuse online.
“Oh, my goodness. Are children safe anywhere?” Debby Leddy, a church member who lives near the church, said.
Leddy is just one of many Berry’s Chapel church members confused about the pastor’s arrest.
“It’s very shocking because we don’t know where we can have our kids safe, and we don’t know people as well as we thought we did,” Leddy said.
After getting a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Williamson County investigators said they searched Berry’s Chapel and found Hayes had had been uploading child sex abuse pictures using the church’s internet connection.
“When I was growing up, my father was a pastor and never did you hear anything like this, and to do this so obviously on the church’s wi-fi,” Leddy said.
To make matters worse, members who spoke to WSMV4 –who didn’t want to go on camera– said Hayes had access to dozens of children.
“I often did programs for the preschool that they have there and they’re so many children there,” Leddy said.
When other church leaders found out what happened, they said they fired Hayes immediately.
“I hope that they get him the help he needs and some sort of guidance because definitely something has to be wrong,” Leddy said.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Naasón Joaquín García, pastor of La Luz del Mundo, a Mexico-based Evangelical church with branches in the U.S. claiming more than one million members, was charged in 2019 with human trafficking, child pornography production, and child rape. (Church website)
García, 50, faces 26 felony counts that range from human trafficking and production of child pornography to rape of a minor. The charges detail allegations involving three girls and one woman between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County.
The fundamentalist Christian church, whose name translates to The Light of the World, was founded in 1926 by García’s grandfather. It has been the subject of child sex abuse allegations for years but authorities in Mexico have never filed criminal charges. It has more than 15,000 churches in 58 countries, according to its website. The church’s followers must adhere to a strict moral code in exchange for the promise of eternal salvation.
García — who was a minister in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California before becoming the church’s leader — coerced the victims into performing sex acts by telling them that refusing would be going against God, authorities said. He allegedly forced the victims, who were members of the church, to sexually touch themselves and each other. One of his co-defendants also allegedly took nude photographs of the victims and sent the pictures to García.
García told one of the victims and others in 2017, after they had completed a “flirty” dance wearing “as little clothing as possible,” that kings can have mistresses and an apostle of God cannot be judged for his actions, the complaint states.
The leader of the Light of the World Church, Mexican Naasón Joaquín García, was sent to a state prison in Kern County, California, to continue his sentence of 16 years and 8 months, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse of minors. The religious leader pleaded guilty on June 6 to sexual assault of three underage victims.
This prison is located in Delano, a little more than 150 miles north of Los Angeles. He was incarcerated in the Central Men’s Jail in that city, until Wednesday when he was transferred.
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The sentence is the highest that could be imposed on him after an agreement reached with the California District Attorney’s Office. He avoided going to trial on 19 criminal charges including statutory rape, possession of child pornography and human trafficking, which would have placed him in a position to be sentenced to life in prison.
Naasón Joaquín García has been in prison since June 3, 2019, when he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport with two of his assistants, who were also implicated in the case. This period between when he was arrested and sentenced will be considered as part of the sentence against him.
The leader of the Light of the World Church, Mexican Naasón Joaquín García, was sent to a state prison in Kern County, California, to continue his sentence of 16 years and 8 months,after he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse of minors. The religious leader pleaded guilty on June 6 to sexual assault of three underage victims.
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The conviction against Naasón Joaquín García accelerated a civil lawsuit filed by Sochil Martin, a former member of the Light of the World Church.
In February 2020, she sued La Luz del Mundo and its leader for allegedly running a sex trafficking ring that economically exploited victims and sexually abused her since she was 16 years old.
The Light of the World Christian church has its international headquarters in Guadalajara, Mexico, was founded in 1926 by Aaron Joachim, grandfather of Naason. It is currently present in 60 countries and claims to have up to 5 million followers.
After the arrest of its leader, hundreds of followers protested, claiming that Naasón Joaquín was unjustly accused, despite the testimonies and evidence presented against him, which forced him to reach an agreement with the California District Attorney’s Office, in order to receive a lesser sentence.
Meanwhile, five women, known as Jane Does, who said García sexually abused them between 2015 and 2019, filed a civil lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeking damages against the church. They also named García, his wife and children, and three other women in the suit, who they said either knew about the abuse or helped groom them for García. According to the suit, the victims said they were “routinely coerced” since they were children to believe that García’s wishes were direct orders from God and that if they didn’t obey, it would “lead to catastrophic consequences including, but not limited to, eternal damnation, unspeakable tragedy, infertility, and countless other harms.”
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
In 2017, James Rankin, a pastor associated with Bellevue Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas was charged with the possession of child pornography. The Star-Telegram reported at the time:
A Hurst associate pastor faces a child pornography charge after he took his computer to a Best Buy store, according to a Hurst Police Department news release.
Store employees called police about 8:40 p.m. Thursday after finding what appeared to be child pornography on a customer’s computer, according to the news release. After investigating, police arrested and charged the owner of the computer, 78-year-old James Rankin, with possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. Bond was set at $5,000.
The news release said Rankin is an associate pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Hurst, which lists him as a staff member on its website.
James was a retired pastor before being called to his present ministry. He served churches in Tennessee, Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas. He served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1980. He has degrees in Bible, Theology, Counseling, Church Administration and Communication.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2012. They have two children and two grandchildren. They presently live in Hurst.
James is a lifelong ferroequinologist (model railroader).
In 2018, Rankin pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. Three additional counts were dropped as part of a plea agreement. Rankins was given eight years probation and ordered to post the following sign on his home:
A former Hurst pastor who reportedly told police he kept child porn on his computer to “remind himself of what other people like to look at” has been sentenced to eight years of deferred-adjudication probation.
James Holcomb Rankin, 79, pleaded guilty last week to one count of possession of child pornography. Three additional counts were dropped as part of a plea agreement, court records show.
By Saturday, he must place a sign on his home, no smaller than 16 inches tall by 32 inches wide, with 2½-inch letters declaring “A PERSON ON PROBATION FOR A CHILD SEX OFFENSE LIVES HERE.”
Rankin was an associate pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church on West Pipeline Road at the time of his arrest, but he no longer works there.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit, police were called to the Best Buy on Northeast Mall Boulevard in March 2017 after employees found images of child porn on his computer.
Rankin later told police that he kept several dozen such images on his computer to “remind himself of what other people like to look at” and that they had been research for “a possible lesson involving Cupid, love and human trafficking seven to eight years ago,” according to the affidavit.
The former pastor had faced two to 10 years in prison if convicted, but his lawyer told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Rankin “probably had a shot in trial,” although the plea deal was a “fair resolution.”
Attorney Wes Ball did not, however, think his client needed to put a sign outside his house.
“If he’s a risk, he belongs in prison, but he’s a low risk,” Ball told the newspaper. “Let him go on with his life on probation.”
Rankin was an army chaplain from 1970 to 1980 and worked at churches in Fort Worth and Amarillo, as well as in Tennessee, before joining the ministry at Bellevue Baptist.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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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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.
Daniel Merrick, pastor of Congregation Yahshua Messiah Gathering, a Messianic Jew congregation in Smethport, Pennsylvania, and a Christian musician has been charged with 570 counts of child pornography involving indecent contact, second-degree felonies; 316 counts of child pornography involving nudity, third-degree felonies; and one count of criminal use of a communications facility, a third-degree felony.
Merrick told law enforcement that he had an “addiction,” and only started looking at child porn because his wife wouldn’t have sex with him. Merrick called his “addiction” a curiosity.
A Christian musician, pastor, and former Bradford store owner is in McKean County Jail, charged with more than 880 felony counts of child pornography.
Daniel W. Merrick, 64, of 858 Route 446, Smethport, is charged with 570 counts of child pornography-involving indecent contact, second-degree felonies; 316 counts of child pornography-involving nudity, third-degree felonies; and one count of criminal use of a communications facility, a third-degree felony.
According to the criminal complaint, State Police Computer Crimes received a CyberTip from Synchronoss Technologies, which is Verizon Cloud.
Between July 8 and Aug. 10, Synchronoss became aware of eight images and one video of child pornography involving indecent contact and one image of child pornography involving nudity, all of which had been uploaded to Synchronoss’ infrastructure.
Synchronoss provided to police the cell phone number which uploaded the images; the phone was registered to Merrick, the complaint stated.
On Jan. 9, Trooper Robert Whyel with the state police computer crimes unit served a search warrant for the content on the Verizon Cloud account for that phone number. The results included 178 additional images of child pornography involving indecent contact and 139 involving nudity. The images were saved on a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G; there were numerous photos of Merrick on the account as well, the complaint stated.
On Feb. 10, a search warrant was executed on Merrick’s residence, and Whyel spoke with Merrick on the scene. He told the trooper that he “began viewing pornography due to his wife refusing to be intimate with him,” the complaint stated, which Merrick said led to a “two-month curiosity in child pornography.”
The complaint read, “The curiosity never entered the real world and was only a fantasy.”
He told police that he had an addiction and would seek help, the complaint read.
Reviewing Merrick’s phone, the trooper found 383 images of child pornography involving indecent contact and 176 involving nudity, including an image that was located on the CyberTip, according to the complaint.
Merrick was arraigned Friday before District Judge William Todd in Smethport. He was jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 9.
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According to Merrick’s website, he holds a Ph.D., is a singer, musician, author, preacher, pastor and composer. He completed Bible college and went into the U.S. Army in 1979 serving in active duty, the reserves and the National Guard until 2004. The site indicated that Merrick is now the pastor of a Messianic Jewish congregation in Bradford and has a weekly show on The Now Network Christian Television.
Pastor of Congregation Yahshua Messiah Gathering, a messianic Jewish followship, R. Capt. Daniel W Merrick PhD hosts “Faith Radio – The Latter Rain Chronicles” on Anchor FM and “Yah’s Way TV” on The Now Network Christian Station world wide. Dan completed his first Album in 1993 entitled “Aliyah” with 17 songs which featured “Like Stephen” which charted on the “CCM Countdown with Bob Sour” on Christian Radio Stations as a top 40 in 1994. Dan was born in Cleveland Ohio and raised on “church music” singing in the choir and as a teen was in the gospel singing group “The Teen Revivers” at Aspinwall Church of God Mountain Assembly. The group opened for the singing Rambo’s in the 1970’s in Cleveland. Dan grew up listening to Al Jolson, his dad’s favorite artist from WW2 era 1900’s who was the star of the first talking (sound) movie “The Jazz Singer” in 1929. Dan began composing music in High School and after having a few songs stolen, common in the industry, in 1987 copyrighted his first song. Dan has appeared on CTV, TCT TV and has weekly shows on The Now Network entitled “Yah’s Way TV” which broadcasts to 236 million people syndicated on Cable and Statilite TV Stations in Europe, USA, Africa, Middle East, Israel and via apps online to billions. Dan’s music is a collection of styles from Rock, Jazz, Gospel and Country with a stong Classical influence. Dan is the Son of “Lowes Girl” Fox Pin-up Model and Advertising Artist Laura Sloan Merrick Aka “Lolly” cousin of Jimmy Stewart.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
