After Repentance, Pastor Matthew Queen Sentenced For Lying To Federal Investigators

Despite going thru a most penalty of up to 5 years in penal advanced for lying to federal investigators taking a peer staunch into a case of alleged sexual abuse, venerable pastor Matthew Queen obtained six months of condo arrest after repenting for his crime.

In a six-web page judgment on Wednesday, U.S. District Ponder for the Southern District of Fresh York Lewis Kaplan sentenced Queen to six months of home confinement all the plan in which thru which length he’s no longer allowed to head away excluding to get scientific like himself or his essential other or with permission from his probation officer. He could well also need to place on an electronic show screen.

Queen became ordered to participate in an outpatient mental well being treatment program, no longer incur any contemporary lines of credit ranking or credit ranking prices without the permission of his probation officer and pay a total of $2,100 in fines and assessments.

Queen’s prices stem from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into “extra than one SBC entities” following a Guidepost Solutions file detailing how some leaders mishandled allegations of abuse and mistreated victims of abuse.

Last 365 days, the DOJ determined no longer to file any prices in opposition to the Protestant denomination but did pursue prices in opposition to Queen, a venerable Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary evangelism professor, provost and church pastor, for falsifying records associated to its investigation. 

Kaplan appears to be to enjoy also been moved by some 59 letters submitted in court and reviewed by The Christian Publish from family, chums, venerable college students and colleagues, testifying to Queens’ ethical persona and the melancholy situations that led him to betray himself and nearly made him take his lifestyles.

“Dr. Queen recognizes that the Southern Baptist Convention, in conjunction with SWBTS, has had a historical past of overlaying up and minimizing sexual abuse allegations. He opposes such duvet-united states of americaand has in any appreciate times supported victims of such abuse,” Queen’s attorney, Sam A. Schmidt, wrote in a March 2 letter to Kaplan merely three days earlier than his client became sentenced on Wednesday.

“When the chance has arisen, he has acted on behalf of individuals who were abused. The most latest time became this past drop whereas on administrative recede from Friendly Avenue Baptist church. A lady told his essential other and him about her expertise. Both Dr. Queen and his essential other outlined to the girl how essential it became to file the abuse both for herself and the neighborhood,” Schmidt added.

“Dr. Queen also famed that as a the largest reporter his obligation became to file it if she did no longer. After their dialogue, the girl agreed to enjoy them name the police on her behalf, and both Matthew and Hope Queen [his wife] stayed along with her whereas she spoke to a neighborhood police officer. Dr. Queen also gave other records to the police officer and outlined that, as a the largest reporter, he became facilitating her file.”

The case in opposition to Queen, 49, became opened following a November 2022 file of alleged sexual abuse committed by a Texas Baptist College student, based completely on an announcement by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Seminary officials later acknowledged they helped facilitate the arrest of the student who withdrew from the college. 

Before the sexual abuse allegation in November 2022, the Justice Department issued a massive jury subpoena to the seminary in October 2022, which required the seminary to produce all documents in its possession associated to allegations of sexual abuse in opposition to someone employed by or associated with the seminary, among other things.

Investigators acknowledged Queen “attempted to intervene with a federal enormous jury investigation by constructing fraudulent notes in an try and corroborate his possess lies.” He pleaded responsible last October.

In a submission to Kaplan on Feb. 19, Schmidt, his essential other and others outlined that Queen became below a great deal of stress all over the time the investigation began.

“This letter informs of the stress and difficulties Dr. Queen faced in 2023 as a results of his contemporary inform as provost and the persevering with disturbing ambiance at SWBTS as a results of the turnover of extra than one presidents and provosts. Apprehension of dismissals became but one aim within the support of the stress,” Schmidt wrote.

Queen’s essential other also shared her observations of how the investigation impacted her husband.

“Mrs. Queen no longer preferrred presents insight [into] the difficulties that her husband became going thru in early 2023 but as well its impact on him. As a results of the DOJ’s subpoena and investigation, Dr. Queen became told by the SWBTS president no longer to focus on the investigation with someone else,” Schmidt acknowledged.

In her letter, Hope Queen outlined how her husband struggled with the “enforced silence” all over the investigation.

“We did no longer even expose our extended family. Matt has in any appreciate times been an low extrovert, and the enforced silence, coupled with intimidation, led to a downward spiral in his mental well being which became fueled by the dysfunctional ambiance on the seminary. Matt became most ceaselessly performing as a visitor on podcasts to focus on his book; yet he became anxious and terrified regarding the investigation,” Hope Queen wrote.

“Having been led to imagine that he would be in upright anxiety if he told someone about the investigation and assured that the seminary attorneys represented him, Matt sought abet from neither a counselor nor an attorney. He had questions about the investigation but did no longer feel the freedom to quiz the seminary’s attorneys out of danger of repercussions at work,” she added.

“Matt’s trouble grew. On a typical basis, I walked into our bed room and found him on our bed along with his chest heaving and limbs shaking. I watched with discipline but felt trapped without a formula for him to get abet attributable to the instruction no longer to voice someone about the investigation.”

In his possess letter to Kaplan in quest of mercy, Queen expressed deep remorse for what he did and described the first 5 years after Paige Patterson’s presidency led to 2018, as “tumultuous.” He acknowledged when latest president of Southwestern Seminary, David Dockery, asked him to abet because the institution’s intervening time provost and vp for academic administration, he “became no longer appealing to function well throughout the dysfunctional dynamics of the time.”

“As the DOJ’s investigation unfolded, I felt anxious and overwhelmed. I have the merit of working with others in collaboration but being told that I could well presumably also no longer focus on the discipline or the accompanying investigation with someone despatched me staunch into a inform of trouble no longer like one thing I had ever skilled,” Queen outlined. “The isolation and feeling of being unable to believe some colleagues and attorneys led me to construct skewed and unwise decisions based completely on my possess reasoning.”

Queen acknowledged he lost about 40 kilos all the plan in which thru the ordeal and admitted to losing himself.

“Your Honor, I lost a puny bit of bit of myself. I did one thing reasonably out of persona for me — I lied to 2 colleagues to construct myself extra credible by claiming I had made notes that I had no longer written. I’m jumpy by that habits on memoir of it’s merely no longer who I’m or how I enjoy lived my lifestyles and ministry,” he wrote.

The venerable professor acknowledged after he lied to federal authorities, he made plans to take his lifestyles.

“That I lied to government brokers when questioned about the date that I had written the mask jumpy me aid to truth. I apologized and asked for forgiveness. I testified within the enormous jury. After testifying, the government investigators interviewed me in a formula that shy and traumatized me,” he wrote.

“As I traveled home, I made a opinion to commit suicide. After my essential other realized my intent, she took me to a neighborhood health center. Even typing these phrases arouses emotions inner me of disgrace, humiliation, and disbelief. Your Honor, I deeply and sincerely remorse my conduct,” Queen added.

Queen acknowledged that he has “repented of [his] sin earlier than God” and “made it perfect with the government by correcting my fraudulent statement to them.” 

“I will eternally live with the records that I lied, an action contrary to my religion, my persona, and my morals,” Queen told Kaplan in his letter.

“I’m day after day reminded that my lie has disappointed my God, my essential other, my daughters, my other folks, my brothers, my church, my chums, and my college students. I completely understand the duty I need to appreciate both law and judicial brokers. I decide to you, your Honor, to practice the lessons I enjoy learned from my mistake for the the rest of my lifestyles and ministry.”

Supply:www.christianpost.com