This Week's Winner

Over the last seven days... Alabama : Pastor Barry Albert Cook charged with sexual abuse and torture of a child. South Carolina : Pastor Jonathan Roberts charged with felonious theft of church money. New York : Father Thomas Kreiser charged with using $25K in church donations for online gambling. Wisconsin : Pastor Philip Caminiti charged with eight felony counts of child abuse for beating children as young as two months old. Oklahoma : Pastor Vincent Brookfield charged with seven felony counts of molesting a seven year-old girl. North Carolina : Pastor Paul Burke Johnson charged with four counts of sexual battery on a mentally impaired woman. Iowa : Pastor Patrick Edouard charged with raping three women in his congregation. Utah : Pastor Aaron Witcher sentenced to five years to life in prison on two counts of rape of a minor. Pennsylvania : Father Ralph Johnson sentenced to four years in prison for child molestation. Johnson is 84. New York : Rabbi Saul Kassin confesses to multimillion dollar money laundering scheme involving sales of human organs and counterfeit handbags. Florida : Teacher at private Christian school charged with beating a 12 year-old boy unconscious with a broomstick. Wisconsin : Father Joseph Gibbs charged with fondling a teenage girl. Gibbs allegedly threatened to sue the girl's family if she told. Illinois : Imprisoned child molester Father Donald McGuire reveals evidence that his parish knew of his crimes and did nothing. Oregon : In one of the largest settlements ever paid by a religious group, Northwest's Jesuits have agreed to pay $166M to nearly 500 victims of sexual abuse by priests. Most of the victims are Native Americans abused as children at Jesuit parish schools across the Pacific northwest and in Alaska. The settlement, which will largely be paid by an insurance company, is part of a bankruptcy reorganization plan.

Labels: child abuse, crime, lawsuits, molestation, religion, This Week In Holy Crimes