Crime & Safety
Report: Minister’s Underage Sex Scandal Back in Court
The former minister of the Mahwah Full Gospel Church is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old member of his congregation, reports say
A former Mahwah minister accused of having sex with an underage member of his congregation is back in court after Wikipedia led a judge to declare a mistrial in his case in 2011, reports say.
According to nj.com, Curtis Franklin, 46, a former reverend at the Mahwah Full Gospel Church, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a then 12-year-old member of his church in the 1990’s.
Franklin is currently serving eight years for sex with another minor, the 12-year-old’s sister, nj.com reported.
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A jury “deliberated on the case for five days after a seven-week trial in 2011, but a judge eventually declared a mistrial after a juror printed legal information from Wikipedia and handed it out to other members of the panel,” the report said.
According to NorthJersey.com, Franklin’s new trial, which started Tuesday at the Bergen County Superior Court, could get him another 50-year sentence if he’s convicted.
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