This week in Christian history: ROC pastor gets 40 years in prison, Francis McDougall becomes bishop
Va. Megachurch founder sentenced to 40 years – Oct. 13, 2015
This week marks the anniversary of when Geronimo Aguilar, a popular megachurch leader and founder of the Richmond Outreach Center in Virginia, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting two sisters.
Known as “Pastor G,” Aguilar was known for his charismatic preaching and for founding ROC in 2001, basing the fast-growing congregation in one of the poorer areas of Richmond.
In 2013, Aguilar and three other ROC pastors resigned, with Aguilar later being extradited to Texas to face felony charges, including aggravated sexual assault of two minors.
Leading up to the resignation, several women had stepped forward claiming that they had sex with Pastor G, who was married with five children. One of them even alleged that he had forced her to have an abortion.
In June of 2015, Aguilar was found guilty of multiple sexual crimes, including multiple accounts of assault and indecency against minors.
He will be eligible for parole in 2035.
