Norwich Pastor Pleads Guilty to Molesting Girl

By Karen Florin
The Day
September 27, 2012

http://www.theday.com/

Former Haitian church leader Luckner Sylvain pleaded guilty in Superior Court Wednesday to molesting a 12-year-old girl multiple times while she lived with his family in 2006 in Norwich.

Sylvain, 49, will be sentenced in December to 2? years in prison followed by 10 years of probation for risk of injury to a minor and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Sylvain pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which indicates he does not agree with the state’s allegations but does not want to risk the possibility of a harsher sentence if convicted at trial.

Sylvain is co-founder of the Bethany Foundation, a group dedicated to raising funds to help Haitian children affected by the earthquake in January 2010. He was formerly affiliated with the First Haitian Baptist Church in Norwich.