By Jessica Kwong
Copyright metro
A former pastor for Harvest Christian Fellowship is accused of sexually abusing children in Bucharest (Picture: AP)
A former pastor at a California megachurch has been accused of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of children at a shelter operation he ran in Romania.
Paul Havsgaard, who was a pastor and missionary at Harvest Christian Fellowship, abused kids at a shelter in Bucharest for eight years, according to lawsuits filed by two Romanian men.
Havsgaard allegedly lured children on the streets with fast food and gave them empty promises of shelter and education.
While abusing the children, Havsgaard told them, ‘I know what God wants; what I want, God wants,’ states one of the suits.
Harvest Christian Fellowship stated that ‘most of what is in the lawsuits about our church is absolutely and entirely false’. (Picture: AP)
The victims have been left ‘hurt, angry and still suffering from PTSD and social difficulties’, said London-based lawyer Jef McAllister, whose firm is representing the men who are suing.
‘Some of them are still illiterate even though they lived in these homes where they were supposed to get an education. They have issues with trust.’
The complaints, filed by Marian Barbu, 33, and Mihai-Constantin Petcuin, 40, in US District Court in California, allege that children were touched inappropriately, tied to beds or radiators and forced to kneel on walnut shells.
Havsgaard would barge into the bathroom as the boys showered or undressed and would masturbate or stare at them, claimed Barbu.
Both plaintiffs accused Havsgaard of ‘pimping out’ older boys for sex work at bathhouses or in video chats and taking some of the money they made.
The suits also name the founder of the church who is a senior pastor, Greg Laurie, and blame him for not stopping Havsgaard despite visitors and donors suspecting sexual abuse and subpar conditions at the shelter.
One of the lawsuits alleges that the church sent $17,000 monthly to Havsgaard’s personal bank account.
Riverside-based Harvest Christian Fellowship admitted that it did provide funds for Havsgaard ‘s mission for ‘a period of time’.
But the church said: ‘Most of what is in the lawsuits about our church is absolutely and entirely false; some of it is plainly slanderous.’
At least 20 other people who claim they were abused at the shelter plan to come forward with lawsuits, McAllister said.
‘They would really like to get some sense that they’ve been heard and that the injustices they’ve suffered are recognized,’ he said.
The lawsuits come nearly five years after a Las Vegas pastor was accused of sexually abusing five children and forcing them to play a game in which they treated him like a dog or a horse.
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