DOJ files first indictment in Southern Baptist investigation…… | News reporting

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that a former Southern Baptist seminary professor and interim provost has been charged with obstruction of justice in a sexual misconduct case.

Matt Queen, who was previously an administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is alleged to have provided falsified notes to the FBI during an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the Fort Worth seminary. He was charged Tuesday, according to the DOJ.

“As alleged, Matthew Queen attempted to interfere in a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes to support his own lies,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said in a statement Explanation. “The criminal obstruction charge announced today is intended to illustrate the seriousness of an individual’s attempts to manipulate or interfere with a federal investigation.”

Queen, who was named pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, earlier this year, could not be reached for comment.

The indictment is the first official confirmation of a Justice Department investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention and its facilities. Southern Baptist leaders announced in 2022 that they had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department and promised to cooperate.

News of the Justice Department investigation followed the release of a report by Guidepost Solutions showing that SBC leaders mistreated abuse survivors for years, denied responsibility for the actions of local churches and downplayed the number of sexual abuse cases in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Earlier this year, the SBC’s Executive Committee announced that the DOJ’s investigation into the committee had been closed, causing confusion. The Executive Committee later issued a statement saying the DOJ’s investigation into the SBC and its entities was ongoing.

In a statement Tuesday, the Justice Department provided additional details about the investigation.

“Since approximately 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“U.S. Attorney’s Office”) and the FBI have been investigating allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct involving a national religious denomination (the “Denomination”) and its affiliated organizations and the alleged cover-up such allegations by individuals and organizations affiliated with the denomination,” it said in a statement.

As part of that investigation, Southwestern was required to turn over all documents related to abuse to the FBI. However, according to the DOJ, a seminary official received a report of alleged sexual abuse by a student in fall 2022. That alleged abuse was reported to the school’s campus police, but not to the FBI, but no further action was taken.

A Southwestern employee, referred to by the DOJ as “Employee-1,” was later instructed by a Southwestern leader (Employee-2) to destroy a document about the incident and the seminar’s inaction, according to the DOJ. Queen was allegedly in the room with Employee-1 when this happened, but allegedly told the FBI in an interview that he did not hear Employee-2 say to destroy the report.

He then produced a series of fake notes from the meeting, the DOJ alleges, which he submitted to the FBI in June 2023 – but he gave contradictory statements about when the notes were taken and later admitted that the notes were fake.

Image: Screengrab / RNS

Matt Queen in a video for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in November 2022.

“On June 21, 2023, MATTHEW QUEEN testified under oath that he had indeed heard Employee-2 instruct Employee-1 to ‘disappear’ the document,” the DOJ said.

The 49-year-old queen faces up to 20 years in prison after being charged with forgery of documents.

“Matthew Queen, an interim provost, allegedly failed to inform the FBI of a conspiracy to destroy evidence related to the ongoing sexual misconduct investigation and instead provided falsified notes to investigators.” “Queen’s alleged actions were premeditated violated a court order and delayed justice for victims of sexual abuse,” FBI Assistant Director James Smith said in a statement. “The FBI will never tolerate those who intentionally lie and mislead our investigations to cover up their malicious behavior.”

In a statement, Southwestern said the student involved in the alleged abuse was suspended and later withdrew from the school. The seminary also said it reported the matter to the DOJ as required.

The school said the alleged actions described in the indictment were “contrary to the values ​​of the seminary.”

“After the seminary learned of the Queen’s actions in June 2023, he was immediately placed on administrative leave and resigned as interim provost,” the school’s statement said. “Any staff members accused of misconduct in this matter are no longer employed by the seminary.”

Southwestern, once one of the largest seminaries in the country, has fallen on hard times in recent years. Last year, a school board report detailed years of financial mismanagement, including overspending by $140 million over 20 years. The school’s former president, who left in fall 2022, is suing the school for defamation.

The school also settled a lawsuit with a victim of Paul Pressler, a legendary SBC leader, in 2023 and sued in 2021 to regain control of a Texas foundation that had been taken over by former employees who allegedly tried to siphon money from the seminary.