Criminal Clergy

05/08/2026

"A Western New York priest on administrative leave charged with receipt and criminal possession of child po*******hy appeared in federal court Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Officials say Fr. Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, was arrested following a search of his home Wednesday morning, where federal agents allegedly found multiple devices containing videos of children being s*xually abused. One, they say, was hidden inside of a Bible case.

Court documents show Nowak told agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation he accessed several online platforms to view child s*xual abuse material, sometimes multiple times a day."

Jeffrey Nowak is charged with receipt and possession of child po*******hy.

04/08/2026

"WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A 42-year-old Winter Haven pastor faces numerous charges after investigators said he lured a 14-year-old boy he met on a dating app and exposed him to HIV during multiple s*xual encounters.

Polk County sheriff's deputies took Timothy Chaneyfield into custody after Instagram alerted authorities to illegal activity between an adult and a child.

Investigators said Chaneyfield connected with the teen on a dating app before moving their communications to Instagram. Chaneyfield, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, picked up the boy three times in front of the child's neighborhood and drove him to his home in Eagle Lake for s*x.

"On those three different occasions he wasn’t preaching, but he was messing around," Judd stated.

Deputies arrested Chaneyfield when he returned from Baltimore, where they said he performed a funeral through his hospice work. Sheriff Judd said Chaneyfield confessed to the acts.

"He confessed," Judd said. "He confessed that he picked up this 14-year-old child on at least three different occasions, took him to Timothy’s home in Eagle Lake where he engaged this child in s*x. But, that wasn’t it. That wasn’t all. Timothy is HIV positive. He failed to tell this 14-year-old child that I am HIV positive, and he had unprotected s*x with a child and exposed our 14-year-old victim to HIV. We pray that our work was fast enough because we got our victim, the 14-year-old, the HIV cocktail that we stopped this child from being infected. But, we have a 26-year-old who said that he engaged Timothy Chaneyfield in s*x and now he is HIV-positive."

A 42-year-old Winter Haven pastor faces numerous charges after investigators said he lured a 14-year-old boy he met on a dating app and exposed him to HIV during multiple s*xual encounters.

28/07/2026

FLORIDA "A 38-year-old pastor at PowerHouse Fellowship Ministry in Davenport was arrested Wednesday, July 22, for video voyeurism.

According to the arrest affidavit, a woman was shopping at the Horizon West Walmart located at 16313 New Independence Parkway, Winter Garden, when Owen Thompson-Canzius bumped into her leg with his shopping basket, and later, tried to do it again.

That's when she noticed a phone inside the basket, facing upward going under her skirt.

She quickly grabbed him, confronted him and demanded he hand over his phone to her, telling him he did not have permission to record her.

She later told officers Thompson-Canzius apologized, ended the recording and deleted it from his phone.

He was arrested and charged with video voyeurism in the third degree."

Owen Thompson-Canzius, 38, was arrested Wednesday, July 22, after being caught recording up a woman's skirt at the supermarket.

27/07/2026

To all of the godders out there, meet your cohorts.

25/07/2026

"A Virginia-based pastor has been arrested for allegedly sending York County boy explicit images on a weekly basis over the course of more than a year, state police said.

Pennsylvania State Police announced Thursday that 46-year-old Kenneth Baldwin, of Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested and charged with unlawful contact with a minor, indecent exposure, open lewdness and related offenses following an investigation into correspondence he allegedly had with a York County teen that began when he 15-years-old.

Authorities were notified in May that the now 17-year-old had allegedly received explicit images from a man. Police said an investigation into the images determined they were sent from Baldwin.

Police learned the teen met Baldwin in November of 2024 after hearing him deliver a sermon at Crossroads Baptist Church. The two exchanged phone numbers, leading to correspondence that lasted until December of 2025, throughout which, Baldwin allegedly sent "multiple explicit images a week" to the minor, state police said."

Kenneth Baldwin, a pastor from Virginia, was arrested after, police claim, he sent explicit images to a York County boy every week for over a year.

23/07/2026

Catholic church crimes.

The remains of 22 more babies were recovered from the site of a former institution for unmarried mothers and their children in Ireland.

23/07/2026

"WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) -- The Kansas Bureau of Investigation arrested a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Salina for child s*x crimes.

On Wednesday, July 22, at approximately 5:05 p.m., KBI agents arrested Father Ryan A. McCandless, 44, of Wichita, on an arrest warrant for three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The arrest occurred at a residence in the 2100 block of S. Erie St. in Wichita. The Sedgwick County Fugitive Warrant Unit assisted with the arrest.

The Republic County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance on Sept. 15, 2025. The charges allege that between July and September 2025, McCandless s*xually abused a 6-year-old child in Belleville, Kansas. The Diocese of Salina suspended McCandless from ministry when they were made aware of the reported incidents."

https://www.kake.com/home/kbi-arrests-kansas-priest-for-child-s*x-crimes/article_8f0cb240-45b0-439d-a7d4-e60fc28cd195.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawTPBvFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR4a6GGAXWWCF8VsAFhNBClMsqd_XloZy4ZcgD5qgEE2sWgjUwv0EEYITAcmxQ_aem_S70Ve3HQFdpxBjbkqK46eg

On Wednesday, July 22, at approximately 5:05 p.m., KBI agents arrested Father Ryan A. McCandless, 44, of Wichita, on an arrest warrant for three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with

20/07/2026

"A South Florida youth pastor has been arrested in connection with a high-speed crash earlier this year that killed his 8-year-old daughter, records showed.

Joel Leiniz, 38, was arrested Sunday on charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter, Palm Beach County jail records showed.

According to an arrest report, Leiniz was driving an Audi Q7 in the 2600 block of South Military Trail when the crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Jan. 17.

Leiniz said his three kids were sitting in the back as they drove from a church concert to a restaurant when he swerved to avoid a collision with another car and lost control, the report said.

Investigators determine the vehicle struck and pole and caught fire.

The pastor's 8-year-old daughter, Zoe Leiniz, was killed in the crash.

The event data recorder from the SUV showed it was going 104 mph in a 40 mph zone five seconds before the crash, and Leiniz's blood alcohol after the crash was .083, above Florida's legal limit of .08, the report said.

The report said Leiniz lives in Margate and online records show he's a youth pastor at New Covenant Church in Pompano Beach."

A South Florida youth pastor has been arrested in connection with a high-speed crash earlier this year that killed his 8-year-old daughter, records showed.

16/07/2026

"HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - The self-described pastor of a Thibodaux church and an alleged accomplice were arrested on a host of child s*xual abuse allegations, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday (July 15).

Thomas Tucker III, 57, and Sharotta Lewis, 47 -- both of Houma -- were jailed in the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex in lieu of $602,000 bonds, according to court records.

Sheriff Tim Soignet’s office said the arrests followed an “extensive” investigation into allegations of child abuse, cruelty to juveniles and s*xual crimes committed against minor children.

Soignet’s agency described Tucker as “a self-identified pastor” of the Outcast of Society Ministries in Thibodaux.

The sheriff’s office said its investigation was launched after abuse allegations were reported to the Louisiana Department of Child and Family Services. Detectives said Tucker was identified as the perpetrators, while Lewis allegedly witnessed the physical and s*xual abuse of children by Tucker and made no attempt to report it."

Thomas Tucker, Sharotta Lewis of Houma taken into custody

14/07/2026

"BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A former pastor and soccer coach pleaded guilty for child s*xual abuse, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday.

John A. Camardo, III, 47 and of Williamsville, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree r**e and one count of second-degree course of s*xual conduct against a child, officials said.

According to authorities, Camardo engaged in s*xual conduct with a victim under 15 years old between April and May 2024.

Between April 2025 and June 2026, Camardo engaged in two or more acts of s*xual conduct with a second victim who was under age 13. Officials said Camardo was known to the victims, and both crimes took place in Amherst.

Camardo was a former executive pastor of The Chapel, which has locations in Cheektowaga, Getzville, Lockport and Niagara Falls. He also coached girls’ travel soccer for the Amherst Soccer Association as of 2023."

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A former pastor and soccer coach pleaded guilty for child s*xual abuse, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday. John A. Camardo, III, 47 and of…