Jury Finds Mahwah Minister Guilty of Sex with Underage Girl

By Kibret Markos
The Record
May 24, 2012

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Jury_find_Mahwah_minister_guilty_of_sex_with_underage_girl.html?page=all

The Rev. Curtis Franklin in court earlier.

A Mahwah minister was convicted Thursday of having sex with an underage member of his church almost a decade ago.

Jurors in state Superior Court in Hackensack returned after less than two days of deliberations to find the Reverend Curtis Franklin guilty of second-degree sexual assault.

Franklin looked down and shook his head when the jury forewoman announced the verdict. He was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom after Judge Edward Jerejian revoked his $200,000 bail, ordering him held at the Bergen County Jail pending his Sept. 14 sentencing, when he faces five to 10 years in prison.

Defense attorney Miles Feinstein said he was disappointed with the verdict and that he will file an appeal.

Ralph told jurors during the three-week trial that Franklin, who was a pastor at the Mahwah Full Gospel Church, met the girl when she was very young and began a sexual relationship with her in 2002 when she was 15 years old and he was 22 years older than her. The age of consent in New Jersey is 16.

The relationship went on until the girl was 19, Ralph said. Franklin was arrested when the girl contacted authorities in 2009, he said.

Feinstein argued that Franklin admitted to having sex with the girl but not before she was old enough to consent. He also said the accuser had a motive to lie because her mother, who worked at the church, was in a bitter dispute with Franklin over the church's finances.

Franklin's wife, family members and friends broke into tears and consoled each other as sheriff's officers took Franklin away.

Kenneth Ralph, the assistant Bergen County prosecutor who tried the case, declined to comment.

Feinstein said after the verdict that he believed there was sufficient testimony to create reasonable doubt.

"But it was a difficult case because Mr. Franklin gave a statement that he had an affair with the accuser," Feinstein said. "That created a problem because there was a tremendous age difference, he was married, and they attended the same church."

In addition to serving a prison term, Franklin may be subject to Megan's Law sanctions, which may include parole for life.



Contact: markos@northjersey.com