Tag Archives: sexual abuse

Salt Lake City’s NBC affiliate reports: A former Provo counselor who specialized in counseling gay men will spend at least 15 years and up to life in prison after admitting to nonconsensual sexual conduct during therapy, instructing the men that it was part of their treatment process. Scott Dale Owen, 66, of Spanish Fork, was sentenced to three terms of …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Former Utah County therapist Scott Owen admitted in a Provo courtroom on Monday that he sexually abused several of his patients during sessions. Owen, 66, pleaded guilty to three charges of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, admitting that he sexually abused two male patients “using his position as a therapist” and led them to believe that …

The Roys Report reports: Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) groomed and sexually abused 17 women, some of whom were minors, according to an independent investigation released tonight. In some cases, the abuse constituted rape, the investigation found. “Throughout the investigation, we have identified and interviewed seventeen (17) Survivors who were either sexually abused or …

The New York Times reports: A federal judge in Maryland has paused a lawsuit against Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive whom President-elect Trump chose for education secretary, while another court weighs a recent state law involving such cases. The lawsuit claims that Ms. McMahon and her husband, Vince McMahon — who together led W.W.E. starting in the …

The Christian Post reports: Just two months before Gateway Church founder Robert Morris resigned over an explosive allegation of child sex abuse, the megachurch settled a lawsuit in which at least five Gateway Church pastors and a youth leader were accused of concealing the sexual assault of a minor by another member. The initial lawsuit was filed in Tarrant County …

The Christian Post reports: Liberty University President Dondi E. Costin [photo] says the private Evangelical institution has been threatened with an “unprecedented” $37.5 million fine by the U.S. Department of Education for alleged Clery Act violations following the publication of a leaked report accusing a former president of rape and other school officials of destroying evidence. The Clery Act is …

The Baltimore Banner reports: The Archdiocese of Baltimore has dismissed the Rev. Paschal Morlino, the celebrated “urban monk” of Southwest Baltimore who led St. Benedict Church for decades, following the recent disclosure that he paid $200,000 to quietly settle allegations of fraud and sexual assault. Morlino’s abrupt removal as pastor of St. Benedict’s was announced Saturday to parishioners, and it …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Prominent conservative commentator Glenn Beck, one of Tim Ballard’s highest-profile and long-standing supporters, now believes he was “duped” by the former Operation Underground Railroad CEO, saying the allegations he has reviewed amount to “really bad stuff.” Beck and Ballard have a long-running friendship, with Beck promoting Ballard’s work since the earliest days of OUR, the …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: More than three years after filing for bankruptcy protection amid mounting claims of child sex abuse by local clergy, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is preparing to sell off seven properties — including the shuttered Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, the St. Jude Community Center and the Catholic Bookstore Uptown — as a way to …

The Roys Report reports: Soul Survivor Watford has formally suspended Mike Pilavachi, founder of a large Christian youth festival in the U.K., who’s facing allegations he spiritually and sexually abused young men under him. The suspension comes amid revelations that ministry leaders in the U.K. knew about allegations concerning Pilavachi for nearly two decades but did nothing. On Saturday, Soul …

Reuters reports: The Roman Catholic religious order of Jesuits said on Tuesday that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against a prominent member of the order were highly credible and that restrictions on him had been tightened. The order said on its website that it would start an “internal procedure” against the priest, Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, 69, a …

The Guardian reports: A financial fraudster who lured students at an elite New York liberal arts college into a cult-like world of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse was sentenced on Friday to 60 years in federal prison. Larry Ray, born Lawrence Grecco, was found guilty in April of sex trafficking and racketeering, among other related charges, stemming from the psychological …

The Washington Post reports: The Southern Baptist Convention, the second-largest faith group in the country, said Friday that the Justice Department is investigating multiple arms of the denomination following an internal report that showed mishandling of sexual abuse cases. The investigation is related to a recent bombshell third-party report commissioned by the SBC, a spokesman said late Friday. The report …

The Daily Beast reports: “At Agapé, we lovingly, patiently, and biblically teach your child the importance of submission to authority and the joys of being an obedient law-abiding citizen,” a soft-spoken voiceover actor says while images of smiling teenagers flash across the screen. “Mom and Dad, we want to support you in your effort to rescue your son from himself.” …

The Associated Press reports: In response to an explosive investigation, top Southern Baptists have released a previously secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse. The 205-page database was made public late Thursday. It includes more than 700 entries from cases that largely span from 2000 to 2019. Its existence became widely known Sunday …

ABC News reports: One of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the United States announced a settlement agreement Tuesday to resolve a bankruptcy case in New Mexico that resulted from a clergy sex abuse scandal. The tentative deal totals $121.5 million and would involve about 375 claimants. “The church takes very seriously its responsibility to see the survivors of sexual abuse …

Elmira, New York’s NBC News affiliate reports: Robert Fenton, 52, is being charged with sexually abusing and assaulting a 14-year-old girl from 1996 to 1998 in Bradford County, when he was 26 years old. According to the announcement from the AG’s office, Fenton allegedly claimed that “God wanted the victim to be his spouse” because of a vision he had. …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis released his long-awaited reform program of the Holy See bureaucracy on Saturday that envisages greater decision-making roles for the laity and gives new institutional weight to efforts to fight clerical sex abuse. The document was released Saturday, the ninth anniversary of Francis’ installation as pope and the feast of St. Joseph, an important figure …

Reuters reports: A Catholic bishop accused of sexually abusing young men studying to be priests was found guilty by a court in northern Argentina on Friday, capping over a week of often graphic testimony. Gustavo Zanchetta, the former bishop of Oran in Argentina’s northern province of Salta, was convicted of sexually abusing two former seminarians, which prosecutors said in a …

CBS News reports: A news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office detailed that Terry Frank Compton, 62, of Glade Spring, faces 30 felony counts — all that involve children. Compton was arrested after “multiple victims” came forward, according to the sheriff’s office. His arrest on Feb. 10 followed a months-long investigation and his charges include 12 counts of taking …