The Federal Bureau of Investigations arrested two Ohio pastors at their Toledo homes on the morning of April 7, Cordell Jenkins, 46, and Anthony Haynes, 37, for sex trafficking of children.
Jenkins, founder and leader of Abundant Life Ministries in Toledo, and Haynes, are accused of exploiting a then 14-year-old girl in a series of series of sexual encounters for three years.
According to the criminal complaint, the teen says Haynes and a woman had sex in front of her. The FBI investigator says that's a way to introduce someone (a child) to sexual activity, which is indicative of a person involved in sexual exploitation of juveniles. After that encounter, Haynes and the woman engaged in sex acts on multiple occasions with the teen at hotels and paid her money to keep quiet. Haynes also introduced the teenager to other adults who also paid the girl to have sex. Pastor Jenkins was one of these adults.
Jenkins is accused of having sex with the girl at the Red Roof Inn in Toledo and at his office in the church. He is also accused of encouraging the girl to introduce him to a friend of hers and having a threesome with them. Haynes had threesomes with the girls as well. According to the FBI, both girls were paid for the sex acts, and investigators found that the girls were encouraged to send sexually explicit pictures and video to Haynes and Jenkins as well as to others. The criminal complaint also details several of the sexual encounters were recorded via cell phone video.
The criminal complaint outlines repeated sexual encounters taking place at the church and local hotels and motels. The FBI obtained hallway surveillance showing the girl entering and leaving the rooms with Haynes and Jenkins. They say the most recent encounter occurred last month in March 2017.
During the investigation, the girl allegedly sent a text to Haynes reading, "I'm trying to save you. You need to delete your Facebook, not just log out. She has my phone again and she looking." Haynes responded that he had deleted the account.
Haynes is charged with sex trafficking of a minor and obstruction in the investigation of child sex trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Jenkins is charged with sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence, as well as sexual exploitation of children, which carries between 15 and 39 years in prison.
They are scheduled for a detention hearing Thursday, April 13 to determined whether they will be held or released on bond, said FBI special agent Vicki Anderson.
The investigation is ongoing.
"Charges could change from what they've been held on right now. There could be additional charges. There could be something where this charge fits better. It could be altered between now and the indictment or it could stay the same," said agent Anderson.
Source: 13abc.com
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