Charges announced as part of DOJ’s investigation of SBC

A former professor and interim rector of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been charged with obstruction of justice in a sexual misconduct case, the Justice Department announced May 21.

Matt Queen, who previously served as an administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, allegedly provided falsified notes to the FBI during an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the Fort Worth, Texas-based seminary. He was charged on May 21, 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 investigation began in 2022

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’s investigation followed the release of a report by Guidepost Solutions that found SBC leaders mistreated abuse survivors for years, dismissed responsibility for the actions of local churches and increased the number of sexual abuse cases in the largest Protestant church downplayed the country’s denomination.

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

In a May 21 statement, the DOJ 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.

Queen presented “counterfeit” banknotes

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

He then produced a set of fake notes from the meeting, the Justice Department alleges, and turned them over to the FBI in June 2023. However, he gave conflicting statements about when the notes were taken and later admitted that they were forgeries.

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

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

“Matthew Queen, an interim provost, allegedly failed to notify the FBI of a conspiracy to destroy evidence related to the ongoing sexual misconduct investigation and instead provided investigators with falsified notes.” “Queen’s alleged actions willfully 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 conceal their malicious conduct.”

Response from Southwestern Seminary

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.”

Read the full statement here.

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 in 2023 with a victim of Paul Pressler, a legendary SBC leader, and sued in 2021 to regain control of a Texas foundation that had been taken over by former employees who allegedly tried to steal money from the school School branch seminar.