Pastor Convicted of Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old Member of Congregation

By Jeffrey Wolf
9 News
July 27, 2011

[Note: The accused appealed the conviction. The prosecutor was not able to proceed with the case and filed a motion requesting the court to issue an Order of Nolle Prosequi. The court granted the motion in 2020. We have redacted the name of the accused and identifying information.]

DENVER - An Aurora minister was convicted on Monday of sexually assaulting a teenager in his congregation.

[Redacted], [age redacted], was convicted of sexual assault on a child using force, sexual assault on a child, pattern of abuse and three counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

The Denver District Attorney's office says the victim, who was born in Sierra Leone, was a member of [Redacted]'s church, [Redacted]. The assaults began when the victim was [redacted] years old in 2008.

Prosecutors say the assaults were reported to police in October 2009 when the victim's mother discovered her daughter was pregnant.

While the case was originally filed in Denver, investigators say most of the assaults occurred in Adams County.

During the trial, [Redacted] testified and denied the allegations. His attorney argued that the victim was not a child, based on the fact that a birth certificate was never issued in Sierra Leone as it was in the middle of a civil war at the time.

The victim gave birth to a baby girl in [Redacted] 2010 and paternity tests showed [Redacted] is the father.

The jury deliberated for about an hour before delivering a guilty verdict.

[Redacted] faces an indeterminate to life sentence with a minimum of eight to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 26.