ILLINOIS
Christian Post
Megachurch Pastor Convicted of Sexually Abusing Teen Appeals Prison Sentence, Blames Victim for Seducing Him
BY MORGAN LEE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
June 4, 2014
A former Indiana megachurch pastor imprisoned for sexually abusing a former female student at his church’s high school is attempting to overturn his prison sentence by accusing the victim of seducing him.
The former leader of a 15,000-person congregation, Jack A. Schaap, 56, who is married and has two children, has asked U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano to overturn his 12-year sentence, “due to the aggressiveness of (the girl) that inhibited impulse control.”
Schapp was sentenced in 2013 for sexually abusing the victim and taking her across state lines, and is not set to be released until 2023.
According to Charles Murray, Schaap’s attorney, the defense wants to present new evidence casting the victim as an alcohol and marijuana user and one who met Schaap with “prior extensive sexual experience,” reported NWI.com.
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