Eddie Long Wants Theft Case Against Former Guard Revoked

(Photo: AP Images / John Amis, Pool)
Bishop Eddie Long speaks Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta.

By Anugrah Kumar , Christian Post Contributor

September 10, 2011|7:04 pm

Embattled megachurch pastor Eddie Long has requested the DeKalb County District Attorney Office to dismiss burglary charges against his former security guard.

The former security guard was among three young men accused of stealing about $100,000-worth of jewelry and electronics from Long's office inside New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta in 2010, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The other two young men were among the four former New Birth church members that had filed a lawsuit against Long for allegedly luring them into sexual acts.

Long wrote a letter to District Attorney Robert James to cancel charges against his former security guard, Anthony Boyd. His request is under consideration, according to District Attorney’s Office spokesman, Erik Burton.

Boyd was accused in the burglary charges along with Maurice Robinson and Anthony Flagg, who were among the men that sued Long last fall for abusing spiritual authority to engage them in sexual acts. While Robinson was charged with burglary, Flagg was not charged due to a lack of evidence, AJC said.

Attorney B.J. Bernstein, who represents Robinson and Flagg as well as two other youths in the sexual misconduct case against Long, defended his clients by saying the burglary was committed as a means of getting back at the bishop.

The four former members of the LongFellows Youth Academy, who were selected by Long for mentoring, charged that the real purpose of the academy was to lure youngsters into sex.

While Long has denied the charges, he went for an out-of-court settlement on May 27 to get the lawsuits that were filed in September 2010 dismissed. Not much details about the settlement, including the amount of money Long paid his accusers, are known due to the confidentiality agreement.

Long’s megachurch claims to have 25,000 members. His Emmy-Award-winning broadcast, “Taking Authority,” which airs on the Trinity Broadcast Network, reaches 172 countries and more than 270 million people.