Maryland Man, Maurice Blanchard, Charged in Sex 2003 Abuse

By Mila Mimica And Chris Lawrence
NBC Washington
February 18, 2014

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Maurice-Blanchard-Charged-in-Sex-Abuse-245912671.html

A man who some are claiming worked as a deacon in the D.C. area for years has been arrested for sexually abusing a teenage girl.

Maurice Blanchard was arrested last week by Prince George's County Police. He allegedly raped a woman in 2003 who was 15 at the time. Her godmother, Sandra Seega, told News4 Blanchard was a deacon at Grace Apostolic Church in Northeast Washington, which she says gave him trust and access to  young girls.

"From what she's told me, he would ask her to come babysit," Seega told News4. "Then he would sneak downstairs wherever she was sleeping and have sex with her."

Court documents claim in a phone call, Blanchard admitted to having sex with the victim when she was 16. News4's Chris Lawrence spoke to the victim Monday. She said Blanchard threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what happened, and that no one would believe her anyway. 

Seega says even the victim's mother didn't want her to go public.

"At the time, she made the poor decision that she shouldn't tell, because the deacon had a family and it'd bring the church down," Seega said. "She got married, she has a little girl and her husband now kind of pushed her to [say what happened]."

Seega tells News4 Blanchard moved on to Timbrel International Church in Largo, and says she thinks there are other victims.