Black Collar Crime Round-Up: September 16, 2010
James Elliott • Kichner Firmin • Timothy E. Parker
Elijah Roberts, Jr. • Jeremy Scott Walker
Because we could spend 24/7 tracking the sins of right-wing religionists (especially “youth pastors”) and never get caught up. Of the following, the more interesting cases will probably end up with their very own Conservative Babylon entries.
Convicted: Jennifer Michelle Brennan, 37, of Spotsylvania, Virginia, youth minister, St. Matthias United Methodist Church, Stafford, on three counts (out of an original twenty) relating to sexual abuse of a 15-year-old boy (whom she was counseling, along with the boy’s girlfriend, against premarital sex): using a communications device to solicit sex from a minor, child neglect and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor — the last of which occurred on numerous occasions, usually “in Brennan’s van in Target and Walmart parking lots.” Brennan had claimed the boy had raped her three times. Sentencing is scheduled for November 22, 2010; Brennan could receive up to 16 years in prison. Story: Conservative Babylon, October 4, 2009; Fredericksburg.com, September 16, 2010
Not guilty plea: Dino Cardelli, 49, founder & former senior pastor, Calvary Chapel of Arcata, California, to four felony counts of sex abuse against a girl under the age of 14 — his adopted daughter, one of a number of children who lived in the Cardilli home, some of whom are adopted and some with special needs. At Cardelli’s hearing, Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel said the March 21, 2010, suicide of Cardelli’s wife, Nancy, was “related to the trauma” of laboring under the knowledge that her husband was “romantically involved” with one of their adopted daughters. Deemed a flight risk, Cardelli was denied release on his own recognizance, and his bail was set at $750,000. He resigned from his church September 14th. Incidentally, among Cardelli’s favorite pages on Facebook: “Protect Marriage: One Man, One Woman.” Story: North Coast Journal, September 16, 2010
Sacked: Nancy Earp, 21, youth pastor, Fort Myers, Florida, for lewd and lascivious behavior with a 15-year-old girl. “Earp worked as a birthday party hostess at the Roller Skating the Net Roller Skating Rink. The rink is open to the public, but is operated by Manna Christian Missions, and hosts the Super Kids Church, a Christian group for children.” Story: NBC2, August 19, 2010; Naples News, August 19, 2010; WINK, August 19, 2010
Sentenced: James Elliott, 58, pastor, Church of Faith and Deliverance, Jacksonville, Florida, to 12 years after pleading guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13. Elliott will be eligible for parole in 2020. Story: Journal Courier, August 17, 2010
Assets frozen: Kichner Firmin, pastor, Église Biblique Pierre Angulaire, Montreal, Quebec, while his church is audited, after Firmin “failed to produce records of how about $3 million of the church’s funds, collected over the past 15 years, were spent.” Story: CBC News, August 27, 2010
Bond increased: Timothy E. Parker, 40, pastor, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Westgate, Iowa, who was charged in August with three counts of sexual abuse committed against a 12-year-old girl, after Parker tried to contact the girl and her family from jail. Fayette County Assistant Attorney General Susan Krisko “submitted as evidence letters she said Parker wrote to persuade his accuser and her family to drop the charges” — including “step-by-step instructions for what the victim could say if authorities questioned her reasoning.” Parker has been charged with four counts of violating a protection order, and his bail has been increased to $50,000, “cash only.” Story: Conservative Babylon, August 26, 2010; WCF Courier, September 16, 2010
Charged: Elijah Roberts, Jr., 41, nurse and former youth pastor, Brunswick, Florida, with sodomy, interference with custody of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of tools to commit a crime and reckless conduct, “in an ongoing police investigation into suspected child pornography and the solicitation of a 16-year-old boy for sex.” Story: Jacksonville.com, September 14, 2010; Savannah Morning News, September 15, 2010
Arrested: Jeremy Scott Walker, 19, youth counselor, Palm Tabernacle Ministries, Port Charlotte, Florida, and charged with burglarizing his own church. Walker, who is still in high school, is in jail on a $5,000 bond. Story: WINK, September 14, 2010
Related posts (automatically generated):
- Black Collar Crime Round-Up: September 14, 2010
- Black Collar Crime Round-Up: September 12, 2010
- Black Collar Crime Round-Up: September 1, 2010
- Black Collar Sex Crime Round-Up: September 16, 2009
- Black Collar Crime Round-Up: August 26, 2010
You will be sued if you don’t take out the name of Kichner Firmin from your website. He has been falsely accused and it can come back to you. Our lawyers will enter in contact with the administrators of this website. You have been advice so you better act as soon as possible. Thanks for your comprehension!
We have never accused Kichner Firmin of any wrongdoing, nor do we have any opinion of his guilt or innocence. If he has been “falsely accused,” we look forward to his successful defense.
In the meantime, you’re barking up the wrong tree: If you have a complaint, you need to take it to the publisher of the original news article cited here: CBC news (also here), which states: “A Quebec Superior Court judge has ordered an audit of the finances of a Montreal Baptist pastor and his family. Parishioners at Église Biblique Pierre Angulaire in Villeray on Rue Saint-Denis took Kichner Firmin to court after the pastor failed to produce records of how about $3 million of the church’s funds, collected over the past 15 years, were spent. … Firmin, his wife and adult son had all their assets frozen on Aug. 12.”
You’ll also want to contact cyberpress.ca, Haiti Libre, and many others.
There is no law against mentioning a man’s name, nor relaying the information from a reliable and respected Canadian news source that his assets were frozen while his church undergoes an audit.
If you can show us that any of the above is factually incorrect — that Mr. Firmin’s assets were not frozen, and that his church is not undergoing an audit, we will be more than pleased to make a correction. But we are not going to take the word of — nor blindly obey — an anonymous stranger who threatens us from a disposable Yahoo email account.