Beth Moore, Baptists, Pastor, 2 Buddhists, Yeshiva Student Lead Wolves Among the Sheep

Baptist church leaders concealed pastor’s child sex abuse conviction from congregants: report

By Sky Palma

In 2000, Donald Foose was convicted and imprisoned for molesting an underaged relative. He lost his role as the principal of a Christian school, stripped of his teaching license, and deemed “a danger to the health, safety and welfare of students.” 

Nevertheless, Foose was still able to become the pastor of Oakwood Baptist Church in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, then superintendent of the Oakwood Baptist Day School — all made possible because church leaders concealed his past from the church’s congregants, according to a report from USA TODAY.

“The truth – exposed in 2018 after a husband and wife at the church discovered Foose’s record – fractured the tightknit, devout community of roughly 100 members,” USA Today’s Tricia L. Nadolny writes. “Pastors resigned, attendance fell, friendships dissolved and faith was tested. In interviews with more than a dozen current and former congregants, a portrait emerged of church leaders compounding Foose’s betrayal by twisting scripture and exploiting the concept of forgiveness to stifle questions about how the situation had been handled.”

After Foose’s resignation from Oakwood in 2018, his predecessor at Oakwood admitted to the congregation in a 5-page letter that he was aware of Foose’s record, but said that he had convinced church leaders that he was falsely accused.

“I pray,” Conrad wrote, “that you will find it in your hearts to forgive me for my lack in leadership and judgment.”

USA TODAY has since confirmed that Foose has preached in at least two other Baptist churches after his conviction and resignation from Oakwood where congregants were unaware of his 2000 conviction.

“The revelations at Oakwood occurred as the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest protestant denomination in the country with 15 million members, faced a crisis over sexual abuse that echoes the scandal in the Catholic Church,” Nadolny writes. “After a joint investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News last year documented abuse in Southern Baptist churches spanning 20 years and 700 victims, SBC leaders faulted a “culture of casual indifference to predatory sexual behavior.”

Read the full report over at USA TODAY.

Former church youth leader sentenced to 15 years for
child sexual abuse charge

MATHEWS Co., Va. - A former youth leader accused of child sexual abuse was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday.

Kenneth Scott Marshall was found guilty of sodomy of a minor through the use of mental incapacity or physical helplessness following a months-long investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old boy.

The initial investigation began in June 2018, according to court documents, and Marshall was arrested following a traffic stop in July 2018.

Marshall worked as a volunteer youth leader at Cornerstone Church until June 2018, when the church says it let him go after learning of the allegations.

Sex offender sentenced to 25 years for making sexual abuse images of a child he met at church

by: Sarah Fearing, WAVY Web Staff

NORFOLK, Va. — A 55-year-old Portsmouth man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for creating images of child sexual abuse.

Lavelle Mayfield, a registered sex offender who also goes by name of Lavelle Hilton, appeared in federal court in Norfolk Friday.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Mayfield met the 16-year-old victim at church in Chesapeake before the girl’s father reported her missing on Feb. 5 of this year.

The victim’s younger sister reported previously seeing the victim get into a van with a man they knew from church and even saw her sister trade the man some homemade cookies in exchange for a bag of small bottles of alcohol.

When the victim returned on Feb. 12, police arrested Mayfield the next day on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

After further investigation, the victim told police she had sex with Mayfield several times and that Mayfield took several pictures.

When police searched Mayfield’s phone, they found 137 pictures of the girl along with two videos. Because the abuse occurred on camera, federal prosecutors charged him with production of child pornography, police said.

According to the release, Mayfield was also convicted in 1994, 1995, and 1999 of molesting different girls in Minnesota. In at least one of those cases, he gave his victim alcohol.

Mayfield was sentenced to one year in prison for the first case, three years and four months for the second and 15 years for the third.

Reports said he was released in August, 2011 but is still a registered sex offender and under parole until September 14, 2021.

Nigerian Man Left Heartbroken After Pastor
Impregnated His Wife of 7 Years

By Ngere Ify Davies
Within Nigeria

These photos accompanied the story without comment

A Nigerian lady identified as Tolani Baj on Twitter, has taken to the micro-messaging platform, to share a sad story of how her tailor lost his wife to a religious cleric.

Baj in her short narration noted that the poor husband was in tears over the past weekend, following the sad and unexpected turn that his marriage took.

According to Baj’s narration, the tailor’s wife, who he has been married to for over seven years, got pregnant for her church pastor.

As if that was not enough heartbreak for him, the lady moved out of her matrimonial home to fully settle down with the spiritual leader.

Tolani Baj🍓

@tolanibaj

My tailor was in tears this past weekend. 

His church pastor has impregnated his wife of 7 years +. The wife now moved out of the house to follow pastor & cut all communication with him. Women are scum

Explaining the situation better, Baj noted that the pastor constantly visited her tailor’s household under the guise of spiritual cleansing.

He said the family had been cursed and the only way to go out of their misfortune is through special prayers and fasting. Unknown to the tailor, the man of God was in his household for an ulterior motive.

Obviously, he was the spirit the house need to be cleansed of.

Living Proof Ministries' Beth Moore opens up about overcoming childhood sexual abuse

By Matt London | Fox News

On an emotional new episode of "Ainsley's Bible Study" on Fox Nation, "Fox and Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt and her Bible study group sat down with the founder of the Houston-based Living Proof Ministries, Beth Moore.

The Wisconsin native, who spent most of her childhood in Arkadelphia, Ark., is a popular Bible study teacher and author of several best-selling books.

Fox Nation is an entertaining streaming service featuring your favorite Fox News personalities, with original shows and documentaries that celebrate America.

Moore is also a sexual abuse survivor and victim advocate.  She told Earhardt and the group about overcoming childhood trauma that she said nearly destroyed her.

"I had the great blessing of being raised in church," said Moore, "three times a week in those days, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night -- minimum -- we were always there.

"However," Moore told the group, "my family was very, very broken.  It's just that sort of the combination of the good and the bad and the ugly that can all take place under one roof.

"While there were certainly people that loved me and met a lot of my needs... our home was extremely unstable, extremely unstable.

"I also fell victim to a childhood sexual abuse within my own home. I don't identify publicly who it was, but I will simply say that when anyone that should be in a protective role around you becomes not the protector, but the perpetrator, I cannot tell you how that will mess with you."

Now, Moore is an outspoken advocate for sexual abuse survivors.  During last year's annual gathering of Southern Baptists in Birmingham, Ala., she implored fellow church members to be vigilant of and report any type of abuse in their own community.

"It's a miracle to me, Ainsley," said Moore turning to Earhardt, "now that I look back on it in my adult years, that God must have given me the gift of faith in childhood because I believed what those Sunday school teachers and those pastors were saying about [Jesus]. ... It never occurred to me that he would do me wrong, even though I was being done wrong.

"No one would ever have known from the outside. But I was going to absolutely implode," she said, reflecting on her state of mind as a child and young woman.

"I was 40 years old by the time I would tell you that my mind was completely out from under the influence of my victimization."

Earhardt asked Moore how she was able to recover from her abuse.

"I would memorize scripture," said Moore. "I put those truths on index cards... And I would take those things with me everywhere I went. And I would walk around the grocery store... I was just saying those scriptures over and over.

"I'd make statements of 'This is who God says you are,' and 'This is what you have to believe.' And I don't care how you feel -- this is the truth. And it was that process right there."

To watch all of "Ainsley's Bible Study" go to Fox Nation and sign up today.

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Former Boulder Shambhala community member
pleads guilty to child sex assault

..

The abuse was reported in the 90s but the victim's parents wouldn't provide the suspect's name to police, according to prosecutors. The victim came forward in 2019.

Author: Janet Oravetz (9News)

BOULDER, Colo. — A man who subjected a young girl to years of sexual contact beginning when she was 13 pleaded guilty to numerous felonies, including attempted sexual assault on a child, according to the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

Michael Smith, 55, also pleaded guilty to first-degree assault.

He sexually assaulted the victim multiple times, beginning in 1997, according to Boulder Police.

He and the victim met when he was staying at her parent’s house in the late 1990s. Both Smith and the girl's parents were part of the Shambhala community (5th story on link), according to investigators.

Smith started grooming the victim and ultimately subjected her to sexual contact for a number of years, according to prosecutors.  In 1998, Smith trapped the victim in a small closet and attempted to have sex with her, according to the district attorney's office.

After that incident, the victim disclosed the abuse and it was reported to the Boulder Police Department (BPD), however, her parents decided not to provide the name of the defendant to BPD and dealt with the ongoing sexual abuse within the Shambhala community.

Nice. Parents protecting the child molester, the wolf. Seems they were wolves themselves and may have the blood of innocents in their teeth.

“We thank the brave victim for coming forward after so many years had passed and the Boulder Police Department for their thorough investigation into these allegations,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated. “The District Attorney’s Office is committed to fighting for victims of sexual abuse. This defendant sexually assaulted the victim for years. Even with the passage of time, sex offenses often cause lasting trauma for the victims.”

Last year, the victim reported the abuse to BPD. A second victim also reported that Smith sexually assaulted her when she was 11 years old in Vermont, according to prosecutors. That case was investigated in Vermont.

Both victims said they came forward after learning that Boulder police had arrested a former member of the Boulder Shambhala, Bill Karelis, for sexual assault on a child. 

Smith is set to be sentenced on May 6. He faces 15 to 25 years for the first-degree assault charges and three years for the attempted sexual assault on a child. The sentences would run concurrently.

Buddhist teacher arrested in child sex assault case may have been victimizing others for decades

..

Boulder Police say there may be more victims over the span of 30 years

Author: Janet Oravetz

BOULDER, Colo. — A man arrested in Boulder for sexually assaulting a child may have been victimizing others for decades, according to a release from the Boulder Police Department.

"The Boulder PD did conduct a very thorough investigation, talked to many many people who were in the community during the time and possibly had information about the incident," Michael Dougherty, Boulder District Attorney, said.

Bill Karelis, 71, was arrested for sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.

Karelis allegedly sexually assaulted the victim multiple times, beginning in 2000, when she was 13 years old, a news release from the agency said. Police said he was introduced to the alleged victim through his position at the Shambhala, a Buddhist community. He was a teacher and leader at meditation retreats but was later expelled from the community, according to an arrest affidavit after similar sexual misconduct allegations surfaced.

"Given the position that the defender occupied at the time and his interactions with other people in the community, we believe it’s possible there are other victims out there," Dougherty said.

According to the arrest affidavit for Karelis, the alleged victim disclosed the abuse to a friend in August of 2018. That friend contacted police.

The alleged victim initially provided a statement to police through email, the affidavit says. In the email, she said the assaults happened at Karelis' home in Boulder. She also told police his wife was home when the assaults occurred, but indicated that Karelis waited until his wife was asleep and then came into her bedroom and performed sex acts on her.

In September 2018, the alleged victim was interviewed by police. She told police that she grew up in Denver but spent a lot of time with her family and other members of the Shambhala community in Boulder.

In Shambhala, when children turn 8-years-old there's an event called a rites of passage ceremony, the affidavit says. At that time, the victim told police Karelis was assigned as her meditation instructor to help her get through the six weeks of preparation for the event.

Her initial interactions consisted of regular one-on-one meetings, the affidavit says. Around the year 2000, when the alleged victim was 13, "things really started to escalate," the affidavit says. She began spending the night at Karelis' home. The alleged victim noted that "the Shambala community, including her parents, completely trusted and respected Bill," the affidavit says.

The alleged victim said she didn't feel the "creepies" from Karelis for the first few years she knew him, the affidavit says. Looking back, she felt like there was "grooming and manipulation" occurring and that he was "building himself up to be a very powerful person," according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, sometime in December 2003, the alleged victim said her mother asked her "what's up with you and Bill Karelis?" At the time, her mother explained to her that during a program Karelis was teaching, other women "stood up and accused Bill Karelis of inappropriate sexual behavior," the affidavit says

At the time, the victim denied anything was going on between her and Karelis. In 2004, Karelis was expelled from the Shambhala community, the affidavit says.

Karelis' Defense Attorney Fred Bibik says his client has been cooperating with police and turned himself in as soon as the arrest warrant was issued.

"Mr. Karelis strongly denies these allegations and we’re confident that when the evidence is fully developed and scrutinized in the crucible of the courtroom he will be found not guilty and fully exonerated," Bibik said.

Boulder police believe there are additional victims over a span of 30 years. Anyone who believes they or someone they know was victimized by Karelis in the past is asked to call Boulder Police Detective Ross Richart at 303-441-1833 or Detective Heather Frey at 303-441-3369. 

There is no statute of limitations on sex offenses involving children under the age of 15.

MarcGafni Sued for Sexually Assaulting Girl

When She Was 13 and He was 19

I am dispensing with the word alleged since he admitted sexual activity with her but dismissed it as ““She was 14 going on 35, and I never forced her.” However, there is no such thing as consent between a minor and an adult. Sara Kabakov (who has chosen to reveal her identity) describes a very non-consensual series of assaults on many occasions  in her lawsuit.

Gafni, whose name at the time was Mordechai Winiarz, had access to Sara because he was her family’s houseguest on Sabbaths when he came down from Yeshiva University where he was a rabbinical student to do youth work at the Lincoln Square Synagogue on the west side of Manhattan, miles from the uptown campus of Yeshiva University.

Yeshiva University is being sued along with Gafni himself.

The New York Post reported the lawsuit yesterday (3/4/20).