OMG Catholics sell historic church to Muslims for half the price of a house in Buffalo > Have they no fear of God?

 

In my not so humble opinion, the Catholic Church well deserves to die. The number of lives they destroyed through child sex abuse and through high rates of gay priests and bishops, and bishops who enabled pedo priests to float around the country, if not the world, and practice their perversion, has nothing to do with genuine Christianity. 

But to build great cathedrals and churches at the expense of hard-working Catholics and then give them to an ideology that has proven itself the enemy of Christ for 1400 years, is just insane. Do they think God will endorse this madness?

Dying Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo,

New York Sells Historic Churches

to Muslims for Mosques

Aug 13, 2024 1:30 pm By Jules Gomes

Sacred steeples sold to sound a different call as bishop redefines evangelism

The diocese of Buffalo, New York, which is in the process of shutting down approximately half of its churches, has sold another historic sanctuary at a bargain-basement price.

The scandal-plagued diocese, which has been buried under an avalanche of clerical sex abuse lawsuits, has traded its historic Gothic St. Ann’s Church and Shrine for $250,000 to Buffalo’s Muslim community, for conversion into a mosque and an Islamic Center.

CATHOLIC BACKLASH

Catholics reacted with outrage after well-known Catholic priest, Fr. Ronald Vierling, drew attention to the sale on Monday. Vierling’s post on the social media platform X has attracted over 10 million views at the time of writing.

“No anger should be directed against the Islamic community,” wrote Vierling. “No doubt the changing demographics of the area and the inability to financially support the complex made the continuance of St. Ann as a viable parish impossible.”

“This scenario is being played out in once large, urban dioceses across the country,” the priest warned.

“Terrible. I know a dozen Catholics who would have pulled together to buy the building instead of letting it get sold off,” Catholic award-winning radio show host David J. Reilly replied, adding: “Sometimes the diocese chooses to not sell to certain groups like the SSPX & FSSP.”

“Muslims get a church for $250k but I can’t buy a house in a decent neighborhood for less than $500k,” a Catholic lamented.

Saint Ann’s Church, built by German immigrants in 1886, had fallen into disrepair and was decommissioned in 2013. Bishop Richard J. Malone – who in 2019 resigned as head of the diocese over allegations of sex abuse cover-up – had slated the building for demolition, as the diocese had estimated repairs could cost at least $12 million. Malone, however, changed his mind and said that the new plan was to put the property up for sale.

The Downtown Islamic Center, which purchased the property from the diocese through its affiliate Buffalo Crescent Holdings, said it would spend the millions of dollars necessary to renovate the historic structure.

“We’re looking to put several million dollars into this in the next year, in the church alone,” Talha Bakth, president of the Downtown Islamic Center, told the Buffalo News. “The space will be able to be used for worship within a year or two.”

Buffalo Crescent Holdings is also purchasing a former rectory at the complex that had been converted to apartments in a separate transaction, the media added.

QUEEN OF PEACE CHURCH CONVERTED TO JAMI MASJID

In 2007, the diocese sold the Queen of Peace Church for $300,000 to the Muslim Society of Buffalo, which converted the building into the Jami Masjid (mosque).

Since Islam prohibits the depiction of a human or living being in sacred iconography, Muslim volunteers painted all the Catholic murals sky blue, removed statues at the altar, and replaced the church’s well-preserved stained-glass windows with plain, frosted glass.

The main altar was removed entirely and replaced by a carpeted space for reading. The church’s former apse, the area behind the main altar where the choir would sing, has been screened off as a prayer space for women.

Today, the Jami Masjid has Turkish carpets instead of pews and Arabic calligraphy adorns the Gothic brackets. The orientation of prayer has changed so the imam stands along the eastern wall of the building, so that when worshippers can face Mecca when they offer their prayers and bow.

ST. AGNES CHURCH CONVERTED TO BUDDHIST SHRINE

In 2009, the Buffalo diocese sold St. Agnes Church to the International Sangha Bhiksu Buddhist Association for conversion to a Buddhist temple and meditation center. The historic church, which was consecrated on December 9, 1883, had served German and Italian immigrants for over a century.

The church closed its doors on October 21, 2007, and remained empty for two years before Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Tuyen bought it in 2009 for $250,000. It reopened in 2012 as a Buddhist temple after the iconography, including the crucifix and images of the Stations of the Cross, was removed.

The Buddhist occupants also added three 2,000-pound sitting Buddhas shipped from Canada, and six standing Buddhas, that cluster around a shrine in the narthex. The monks also replaced six pews with carpets for worshippers, but left the remaining pews intact for those who cannot sit on the floor.

The new owners also hung Buddhist banners alongside the intact stained glass windows, intending to combine Buddhist iconography with the existing Catholic themes.

‘CHURCHES ARE NOT POKER CHIPS’

Attorney Brody Hale, co-founder and president of the St. Stephen Protomartyr Project, which works to preserve Catholic churches for sacred use, lamented the sale and conversion of churches into non-Christian places of worship.

“A church as defined by canon law is a sacred edifice,” he told FrontPage Magazine. “Churches as sacred buildings have fundamentally more protections under canon law than parishes.”

“This is not what churches are supposed to be used for according to canon law. Churches are not poker chips a bishop can use to cash out when he’s in a bind,” Hale stated.

MILLIONS SPENT ON CLERICAL SEX ABUSE SCANDALS

Earlier in May, the Buffalo diocese announced plans to merge approximately 34% of the 160 parishes across Western New York and reduce places of worship by 38%.

Bishop Michael Fisher said the mergers were due to financial pressures brought about by the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, after scores of clerical sex abuse lawsuits were filed under the Child Victims Act; as well as a priest shortage, aging congregations, and declining Mass attendance.

The consolidation would bring the number of parishes from 160 to a projected 106, and the number of worship centers from 196 to a projected 121.

Last year, the Buffalo diocese offered $100 million, in addition to any insurance funds, to settle 891 clerical sex abuse cases. The diocese said it would sell its 795 Main Street headquarters, the former Christ the King Seminary campus, and other “non-essential” property to cover half the settlement.

More than $15 million has already been paid to attorneys for the diocese in its bankruptcy and the state Attorney General’s investigation.

DIOCESE FAILS TO EVANGELIZE THE LOST

Interestingly, the diocesan website has a drop-down menu titled “How We Evangelize” on its opening page, but the word “evangelization” seems to be re-defined with no mention of any attempts to reach people of other faiths or no faith.

Instead, the subcategories under the menu lists buzz phrases such as “Cultural Diversity,” “Catholic Education,” and the controversial “Catholic Charities,” with events like a diocesan “Multicultural Mass” and an annual “Cultural Diversity Celebration Dinner.”

Canadian Convulsions > Shocking accusations against Justin Trudeau by Socialist News Site in Canada

 

The People's Voice is a socialist news site, which is why I know very little about it. The following story includes some well known facts as well as some facts that are not well known. 

Mainstream media in Canada has never investigated the reason why Trudeau was fired from West Point Grey Academy mid-season. Nor have the made any headlines with the fact that his roommate and fellow teacher at West Point Grey was a convicted paedophile. 

What's new in this story is that the girl Trudeau was supposed to have hooked up with at WPGA was only 12 years old. Also, his half-brother, who knew he had a half-brother, a successful business man, claims that Justin is a puppet of the WEF. 

It's odd that a socialist news site would attack the furthest left government in the history of Canada, knowing that they are playing into the hands of the Conservatives.

Justin Trudeau Accused of Sexually Abusing A

12-Year-Old Girl – Media Silent

The People's Voice

52.1K followers

Why Canada Should Never Allow THC Gummy Bears Anywhere Near the Country

Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office claims Florida woman targeted kids

with THC gummy bears and brownies

Annie Blanks, Pensacola News Journal 

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is touting the arrest of a Milton woman who the sheriff claims targeted children with the production of THC-laced gummy bears, brownies and butter. 

SRSO Sheriff Bob Johnson said Thursday that SWAT officers arrested Tracy Farley, 53, at her home at 6700 Highway 87 North after a search warrant turned up drugs and drug-laced items in the home.

Johnson said deputies found gummy bears and brownies laced with THC, a primary component of marijuana, as well as seven pounds of "bud" or potent marijuana; "budder" or a butter-like paste mixed with THC that can be spread on food items; and cocaine.

Johnson said the drug haul was particularly concerning due to the gummy bears and brownies. 

"These two items were specific for children, they're packaged for children," Johnson said. "It's a pack of gummies and if a kid saw them sitting on a desk, he'd pick it up and chew it." 

And to whom is she selling these gummy bears? Not kids, pedophiles! Who else? They get kids high and then abuse them. There is no reason on earth why these things should be allowed anywhere.

Johnson said his agency often gets flak for marijuana arrests, but he said this case demonstrated the necessity of taking a hard stance on illegal drugs. 

"We catch a lot of people on our Facebook page after a marijuana bust saying, 'Why are you messing with marijuana? You need to be going after cocaine,'" Johnson said. "Well, it's because of stuff like this. Just because they're selling marijuana doesn't mean they're not selling something else, and in this case, she's selling those THC-laced gummy bears." 

Johnson said it wasn't clear yet if Farley ever actually sold any of the goods to children, and the investigation is still ongoing. 

Farley was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of synthetic cannabinoid with intent to distribute. 

She is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail on $8,000 bond. 

Santa Rosa Co., Fla

Vatican Doctors Pope's Remarks on ‘Psychiatric Help’ for Gay Children, Says He Did Not Mean It

Well, so much for infallibility!

Pope Francis © Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters

Pope Francis told a reporter that parents should seek psychiatric help if their children had homosexual tendencies. The Vatican says he did not mean it and removed those words from the official transcript, however.

Then what did he mean?

The comment in question was reportedly made as the pontiff was flying back to Rome from Ireland on Sunday. While the Pope has earlier implied that there is nothing wrong with being gay, this time he said that “a lot that can be done through psychiatry” no later than in childhood and added that ignoring such a child is “error of fatherhood or motherhood.”

“When it shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years,” Pope Francis told reporters, as cited by multiple outlets.

However, that reference was not included in a transcript published by the Holy See Press Office on Monday.

The Vatican did not deny the alteration, saying that the quote had been erased to avoid confusion. 

Now, I'm really confused!

“When the Pope referred to 'psychiatry', it is clear that he was doing it to highlight an example of 'things that can be done'. But with that word he didn't mean to say that it [homosexuality] was a 'mental illness',” a Vatican spokeswoman told AFP.

Ah! That's much better... He didn't mean to say what he said. But if he wasn't calling homosexuality a mental illness, then he was at least calling it a sin. You cannot call it anything less than a sin and believe in the God of the Bible, for He made it very clear and unambiguous. Yet, the church has had a great deal of tolerance for gays in the priesthood with many advancing to Bishops and Archbishops and, at least some, to Cardinals. Sin is progressive - nothing good could possibly have resulted from the Catholic embrace of an abomination inside the priesthood.

Last week, Pope Francis was accused of inaction over sexual abuse claims against a prominent US priest, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, which the pontiff allegedly knew about. The claim was made by former Vatican ambassador to the US, Carlo Maria Vigano, who even called for the pope’ resignation. 

However, the pope refused to comment on the allegations, calling on the public to “judge for yourselves.” 

The Catholic Church has recently found itself in the epicenter of the sex abuse scandal and had to acknowledge that priests were really involved in it, after a Pennsylvania grand jury published a report that found 300 “predator priests” had abused children for decades.

And, rest assured, Pennsylvania is no different than any other state in America or any other country in the world with regard to pedophile priests. In Australia they have determined that 8% of the country's priests were pedophiles, although in some orders the percentage was in the 20s and even 40s. 

It seems the percentage of Pennsylvania priests were likely very much in the range of 8% or more. If that holds true for the whole world, then you are looking at more than 33,000 current priests as pedophiles. Most of those pedophiles would be gay, although many gay priests may not be pedophiles, which just means that there are considerably more than 33,000 gay priests in the world, perhaps several times that. 

Is it any wonder the Bible refers to the Catholic Church as the Whore of Babylon?

Ex-Vatican Official: Francis Ignored McCarrick Abuse Allegations, Calls for Resignation

By Daniel Uria

(UPI) -- A former Vatican official said Sunday that Pope Francis was aware of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick' sexual abuses as early as 2013.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former papal ambassador to the United States under Pope Benedict XVI, released a letter, published in Italian by The National Catholic Register and in English by LifeSiteNews, stating Francis ignored McCarrick's record of sexual abuse and failed to punish him.

In the letter, Viganò also called on Francis to resign for the good of the church.

"In this extremely dramatic moment for the universal Church, he must acknowledge his mistakes and, in keeping with the proclaimed principle of zero tolerance, Pope Francis must be the first to set a good example for cardinals and bishops who covered up McCarrick's abuses and resign along with all of them," Viganò wrote.

McCarrick, 88, resigned last month after he was barred from publicly practicing ministry amid allegations he abused a teenage altar boy in the early 1970s while he served as a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, which an Archdiocesan Review Board later determined were "credible and substantiated."

Viganò wrote that two other church officials had reports in 2000 and 2006 respectively detailing McCarrick's sexual abuse including that he "shared his bed with seminarians" whom he would invite five at a time to his beach house on the weekends. Viganò added he recommended McCarrick be disciplined in 2006, but was ignored.

He said Benedict eventually "imposed on Cardinal McCarrick sanctions similar to those now imposed on him by Pope Francis" in 2009 or 2010, expelling him from the seminary where he lived, and forbidding him from participating in public Masses, meetings and other religious activities.

Viganò went on to describe a meeting with Francis in 2013 in which the Pope asked "What is Cardinal McCarrick like?" Viganò said he told the Pope of McCarrick record of sexual abuse "with complete frankness," but Francis "did not make the slightest comment" about the allegations, "as if he had already known the matter for some time."

The release of Viganò's letter came as Francis celebrated a Mass at Dublin's Phoenix Park at the end of his two-day trip to Ireland.

At the Mass on Sunday, Francis asked for forgiveness for abuses of power and sexual abuse in Ireland by church leaders.

"In a special way we apologize for all the abuses committed by institutions run by male and female religious and other members of the church. And we ask for forgiveness for the crimes so many minors were subjected to," he said.

He added that "some members of the hierarchy didn't own up to these painful situations and kept silence."

Francis also sought forgiveness for the church's history of separating unmarried mothers from their children and called for them to reunite.

"For all those times when it was said to many single mothers who tried to look for their children who had been estranged from them, or to the children who were looking for their mothers, that it was a mortal sin," he said. ""This is not a mortal sin. It is the Fourth Commandment! We ask for forgiveness."

Earlier Sunday the pope prayed at a shrine in the village of Knock where he prayed the Virgin Mary to heal those who were abused within the church.

For all the good that does! The Bible tells us to pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Nowhere in the Bible does it suggest we pray to Mary. Mary was blessed above all women for bearing God's Son, but Jesus Himself never venerated Mary, nor did any of the disciples. Why Catholics have decided she is virtual Deity is just one of the ways the Catholic church is severely off-track, the consequences of which seem to always fall upon children.

"None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence, who were taken from their mothers, and left scarred by painful memories," he said. "This open wound challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice. I beg the Lord's forgiveness for these sins and for the scandal and betrayal felt by so many others in God's family."

Maajid Nawaz on Tommy Robinson - Brilliant

The remarkably quick arrest of Tommy Robinson for apparently breaching a court order for media silence, by reporting from outside of a trial of Pakistanis for raping and sexually trafficking little, white, British girls, shocked the UK and people around the world. At least I think that's what the trial was about; there was a publication ban.

British police are not known for speed in resolving cases. The Madeleine McCann case has been going on for 11 years. Child sex abuse cases involving mostly Muslim men on an industrial scale, have been ignored for decades and are only recently starting to be dealt with. Robinson was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours.

The judge who was involved in all aspects of this case claimed that Robinson's reporting could de-rail a very long and expensive trial. He didn't explain how that might happen. He also ordered temporary media silence on the arrest and imprisonment of Robinson.

Maajid Nawaz, one of the most honest and intelligent media personalities in Britain, a Muslim, I think, nails the truth again in this brilliant rant.

The reluctance to speak the truth about Muslim men's prolific involvement in sexually abusing young, British girls is still going on years after the realization that 1500 girls in Rotherham were trafficked, raped and gang-raped because police and council were afraid of being called racist. 

No-one is addressing that issue with the exception of Nawaz. Certainly, no-one in the police or government are willing to even consider addressing the issue. Consequently, little, white, British girls are still in danger of sexual exploitation by Muslim men.

Political correctness is cultural suicide and is destroying another generation of girls.

9 Stories Including Lousy Cop on Today's USA PnP List

Abilene man sentenced to life for

sexually abusing 2 girls

Maria Aguilera  Andrew McMillan 

ABILENE, Texas - UPDATE: Howard Dee Sturgis (7th story on link) of Abilene was found guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child Thursday.

The jurors returned the verdict at about 4:35 p.m. before starting deliberation on a punishment. It didn't take long for the jury to determine Sturgis' sentence: life in prison.

Sturgis will not be eligible for parole due to the continuous aspect of the abuse.

SAPD fires detective who didn’t investigate

sexual assault, family violence cases

By Emilie Eaton 

The San Antonio police detective responsible for failing to investigate more than 130 sexual assault and family violence cases was fired Thursday, City Manager Sheryl Sculley announced.

Detective Kenneth Valdez, who has been with the department for 17 years, received an indefinite suspension, which is tantamount to firing, for insubordination; failing to act on DNA evidence; not properly preserving or handling evidence; and closing cases without approval from a supervisor, according to records released by the city.

“There simply is no excuse for such improper behavior, and Detective Valdez is not representative of the thousands of men and women in our Police Department who are passionately committed to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” Sculley said in a news release.

In fiscal year 2016, Valdez received about $157,100 in total compensation — including $23,955 in overtime, records show. It was not clear how much Valdez received in overtime other years.

Valdez — who hadn’t been named by the city prior to Thursday’s announcement — has not appealed the indefinite suspension yet, a spokesman for the city said Thursday afternoon. He has 15 days under the police union’s collective bargaining agreement to appeal.

On Thursday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg applauded Chief William McManus for his swift response.

“The mishandling of these cases cannot be taken lightly, and today’s response was in keeping with the seriousness of the situation,” Nirenberg said in a statement. “We will ensure that systemic issues discovered by the independent investigation are resolved and justice is delivered.”

At least twice, the Bexar County Crime Lab gave Valdez documentation of DNA in sexual assault cases that Valdez failed to act on.

Valdez did not submit evidence to the crime lab for 27 cases he was responsible for between Aug. 15, 2016, and Aug. 15, 2017. The evidence was found in the department’s property room.

Valdez failed to properly handle or preserve other evidence. When looking through Valdez’s office, officials found seven cell phones — two of which had no identifying case information — five untested cheek swabs, DVDs and CDs with no case information and a $50 in an envelope.

On three occasions, Valdez closed cases without forwarding them to a supervisor. In July of this year, a supervisor asked Valdez to perform additional tasks in five cases, but Valdez allegedly closed the cases anyway.

The announcement Thursday comes exactly a week after Sculley and McManus revealed the mishandled cases, making some of them ineligible for prosecution.

At the same time, a supervising lieutenant and two sergeants were transferred from the Special Victims Unit.

McManus said he became aware of the issue after supervisors with the unit noticed the division was not filing as many cases as usual with the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.

McManus said he thinks Valdez was the only officer in the unit who did not properly investigate cases, but if other officers were involved, they will be disciplined accordingly.

“There are any range of disciplinary actions, if it turns out that way,” McManus said last week.

The Special Victims Unit — formerly called Sex Crimes — is responsible for investigating about 28 different offenses, including human trafficking, family violence, child abuse and sexual assault. A large portion of the cases handled by the unit involve children.

Officials said it’s too soon to tell how many of the 130 cases were not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence. It’s also too soon to tell how many cases involved children.

2 child pornography arrests,

man accused of bestiality

By Ashley Remkus aremkus@al.com

The search of a DeKalb County home yielded two arrests for child pornography, as well as allegations that a man had sexual contact with a dog, lawmen said.

Robert Bishop was arrested Monday after investigators searched his home in Sylvania. Police and sheriff's deputies found a pornographic video of a 2-year-old, an investigator wrote in an arrest affidavit.

Additionally, 27-year-old Bishop "engaged in or submitted to any sexual contact with an animal...a German Shepherd," Investigator Scott Tarrant wrote in another affidavit.

The search of Bishop's home also led to the arrest of Ashley Hartline, a 26-year-old from Rainsville, said DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris. Hartline is accused of sexually abusing and sodomizing the 2-year-old, court records state. Hartline also is accused of recording the abuse and distributing pornographic videos, an arrest affidavit alleges.

Hartline is charged with first-degree sodomy, sexual abuse, dissemination of obscene material and production of obscene material. She faces up to life in prison and would be required to register as a sex offender, if convicted. Hartline was being held with bail set at $30,000.

Bishop is charged with two counts of dissemination of obscene matter and one count each of possession of obscene matter and bestiality. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. He also would be required to register as a sex offender. Bishop was being held in the DeKalb County Jail with bail set at $23,500.

Sylvania, AL

DCF orders Bright Horizons to pay $700 after

child sex abuse allegations

Day care will have its license put on probation for 6 months

By Adrienne Cutway - Web Editor

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Department of Children and Families has ordered an Orlando child care facility to pay $700 in fines, among other things, as part of a lawsuit settlement stemming from allegations of sexual abuse at the day care.

Bright Horizons Child Care and Learning Center in Baldwin Park first came under fire in May when allegations of that three preschool-aged children had been sexually abused by a teacher's assistant.

News 6 is not naming the teacher's assistant because he has not been charged with a crime, although his employment at the facility has been terminated.

DCF officials said the department's investigation found that the day care did not perform a proper background check before hiring the employee last year and that administrators should have heeded warnings from other employees about the man's inappropriate behavior.

Bright Horizons reached a settlement agreement with DCF while still denying the allegations made in the lawsuit.

As part of the settlement, Bright Horizons will pay $700 in fines, have its Gold Seal Quality Care designation revoked and have its license placed on probation for six months. DCF has rescinded its 90-day suspension of Bright Horizons's license.

The settlement document also listed several actions Bright Horizons has taken since the allegations came to light. That list includes new background checks for all employees, installing cameras, assigning new directors and implementing new childhood sexuality training for staff and parents.

Two civil lawsuits (8th story on link) against the day care are ongoing.

Second person accused of sexually abusing

child in Oswego County

By Samantha House shouse@syracuse.com,

RICHLAND, N.Y. -- A second person has been charged with sexually abusing a child younger than 11 years last summer in Oswego County.

Clifford Thurston, 33, of 3446 County Route 22, Orwell, was arrested Wednesday by the Oswego County Sheriff's Office. He has been accused of sexually abusing a boy who was younger than 11 years old, deputies said.

He was arrested less than two weeks after the arrest of Amanda Squadrito (4th story on link), 21, of Richland, deputies said.

The sexual abuse happened in Richland between June and August, deputies said.

Thurston was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

Squadrito was arrested on Oct. 20. Like Thurston, she was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The co-defendants are being held in the Oswego County Jail in lieu of $15,000 cash or a $30,000 bond.

Graham Guilty All Counts Sex Abuse of Minors

Rita Dukes Smith, SurfKY News Director

GREENVILLE, Ky. — It took jurors a little more than an hour and a half to reach verdicts in the child sex abuse/case of J. L. Graham today.

Jesse Graham faced six separate charges of sodomy and sexual abuse/victims under age 12 involving two victims.

The Muhlenberg Circuit Court jury found Graham guilty of four counts of first-degree sodomy and two counts of first-degree sex abuse.

Graham remained stoic during the verdict readings.

Commonweath’s Attorney Ralph Vick finished his final remarks in the trial in which Graham was accused of sex abuse and sodomy of two boys aged 8-9 at the time of his arrest in October 2016.

The jury left for its deliberation at 12:07 p.m. and returned at 2:15 p.m. with a finding of guilty on all counts.

Both boys and parents testified that Graham became trusted and loved by the victims and their families over a period of time. After the trust was gained, Graham used their trust and affection to get into intimate situations with the boys including overnight trips, Vick said in closing remarks.

Vick told jurors that Graham targeted the boys and used their love of video games to find ways to be in the boys’ bedrooms. He also said the two boys were in separate households and had separate families and that Graham was working to entrust both at about the same time.

One victim and parent testified that Graham gave the boy an expensive guitar and threatened to take it back if the boy told anyone about their activities.

Graham’s public defender James Chamberlain told jurors that both boys initially denied anything happened when asked if they had been touched inappropriately. He said the boys initially lied and had been coached in telling their stories.

Graham testified in his defense denying any wrongdoing regarding the youths. He maintained his innocence throughout the process from being charged and throughout his testimony in court today, said Chamberlain in closing remarks.

The jury is now considering the penalty phase.

Ex-school trustee shared porn in group,

planned sex trip with girl, affidavit says

BY DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.

Former Northwest school district Trustee Mel Fuller was a member of group that shared nude photos of young people, and he received child porn from a man who claimed to be a pastor, according to an affidavit.

Fuller also admitted to federal agents that he recently downloaded pictures of a family friend’s young daughter from Facebook and planned to abuse her, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram on Thursday.

He is the second Northwest school board member under a criminal investigation for a youth-related crime since 2012. Former Trustee Kerry D. Jones was indicted in 2013 by a Denton County grand jury on four counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student. His trial is pending.

Fuller was arrested Tuesday and faces a charge of possession of child pornography, according to Denton County jail records.

The school district said in a statement released Thursday that Fuller resigned Wednesday.

Fuller, who had been on the school board since 2008, posted $25,000 bond on the day he was arrested, according to jail records.

Federal agents and police from Trophy Club and Flower Mound executed a search warrant on Fuller’s home in Trophy Club on Aug. 31, according to the affidavit. Fuller, who is married, was home but he was not arrested.

‘Play every other weekend’

The affidavit gave this account of the case:

In December 2016, agents with Homeland Security were alerted by Ontario Provincial police about an internet user with the name PASTOR4YNG1 who later used the name HORNYPASTOR, PASTORONY and PASTORSDAUGHTER666. The user posted images of children he sexually abused that he claimed were from his church and other churches.

In the investigation, agents determined that the pastor had communicated with a user named DAVEBARD in December 2016, and at least two images and one video appeared to be child sexual abuse material.

In April, the investigation showed that the DAVEBARD account was registered to an email address, melfuller4@gmail.com and that person was Mel Fuller, according to the affidavit.

At some point, a federal agent reached out to Fuller through DAVEBARD, and asked him if he had any images or videos he wanted to share. Fuller sent the agent images of a 16-year-old teenage girl in a bikini, saying he was taking her to Mexico on Labor Day and she would perform sex acts on him.

“She and I play every other weekend,” Fuller told the agent. “Everything but _____.”

Fuller also told the agent he was in a group that shares nude photos, but it had closed for anyone else to join.

At the time, Fuller was working for an organization involved in college admission ACT tests and the Texas Education Agency, federal agents said.

During the Aug. 31 search of his home, Fuller admitted he used the DAVEBARD account to receive child pornography.

Hearing is Friday in other case

In the other criminal case involving an ex-Northwest trustee, a hearing Friday is set to determine if Kerry D. Jones goes to trial on Nov. 13 in Denton.

Jones, who is out on $40,000 bail, also was a counselor at Colleyville Heritage High School and a reserve deputy constable in Denton County.

Jones is accused of having sexual encounters with a male student at Jones’ Trophy Club home between April 2010 and March 2011, according to Trophy Club police reports.

Authorities began an investigation into Jones after receiving a complaint in 2012 from a male student who was legally an adult. The student was 17 at the time of the first encounter, Trophy Club police said.

In August 2012, the student notified state Child Protective Services of the encounters, authorities said. At the time, Jones, the father of three adult sons, was a licensed foster parent caring for an 8-year-old boy. The student told a CPS caseworker that he was concerned Jones might do something inappropriate with the boy.

The boy was moved from Jones’ home and the Trophy Club man is no longer a licensed foster parent, according to CPS records. CPS subsequently informed Trophy Club police, and an investigation of the student’s complaint began. The investigation was presented to a Denton County grand jury, which indicted Jones in March 2013.

After the indictment, officials at Colleyville Heritage High School sent letters to parents indicating that police had confirmed that the alleged misconduct did not occur on school property and that no other students related to CHHS were involved.

Colleyville Heritage is in the Grapevine-Colleyville district. Trophy Club is in the Northwest school district.

Registered sex offender gets 33 years for

crimes against two kids in 2016

George Houde

Chicago Tribune

A registered sex offender was sentenced to 33 years in prison Tuesday after admitting he molested one young boy and attempted to molest another in separate incidents in Elk Grove Village and Bartlett last year.

Ryan French, 36, of Elk Grove Village, pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse in connection with the incidents. One of the victims was 9 and the other was 13.

Assistant State’s Attorney Jaclyn Lantz said French approached the 13-year-old at a playground in Elk Grove Village last November and tried to lure the boy to an isolated area. The teen became wary and called his father, officials said. French was a registered sex offender and registered child predator at the time, Lantz said.

A day later, French lured the 9-year-old into a secluded stairwell at a Bartlett playground and molested him, Lantz said. A surveillance camera recorded him luring the boy, authorities said.

French, of the 1200 block of Diane Lane, was convicted in 2008 of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was sentenced to three years in prison. French will have to serve 85 percent of his current sentence, Lantz said.

Conviction Upheld For Tulsa Man Found Guilty

Of Child Sexual Abuse

BY: NEWSON6.COM

TULSA, Oklahoma - The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld a Tulsa man's 2016 conviction of child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography. 

Joshua Gordon was convicted in September 2016 of sexually abusing a child and being in possession of nearly 300 images of child porn.

Gordon appealed the conviction and sentence. 

The state court of criminal appeals upheld his Thursday.