INDIANA
Huffington Post
The former pastor of a northwest Indiana megachurch on Wednesday was sentenced to 12 years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old parishioner.
Last summer, Schaap, 55, was fired from First Baptist Church of Hammond, the 40,000-member congregation of which he had led for 11 years. Upon his firing, Schaap admitted that he had a sexual relationship with the young member of his church.
In court Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano told Schaap the sex crimes were serious in that they were “dealing with the treasures that are most important to us – our children,” the Northwest Indiana Times reports.
The 12-year prison sentence for Schaap was two years longer than the sentence recommended by prosecutors, according to Reuters, and also includes five years of supervised release.
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