Last Updated On: 9/22/2010 3:35:39 PM
LITHONIA, GA -- A third person has come forward accusing Bishop Eddie Long of exploiting his role as pastor of an Atlanta-area megachurch to coerce them into sexual relationships.
Maurice Robinson, 20, and Anthony Flagg, 21, filed a civil lawsuit against Long on Tuesday. They has been members of Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia.
No details are yet available about the third accuser.
Robinson and Flagg say they were only 17 and 18 when Long abused his spiritual authority to seduce them with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities.
Each filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday. Their attorney, B.J. Bernstein, held a press conference shortly afterward.
Bernstein described the young men's enrollment in the Longfellow Youth Academy where they ascended to the elite group of young men known as Bishop Long's "Spiritual Sons".
According to Robinson's written complaint "...Long typically engages in a private spiritual ceremony described as a 'covenant' between himself and each young Spiritual Son..."
"[Long] would use biblical stories to talk about how important it was to follow your leader and master and let them know that the acts they were engaging in did not mean they were homosexual," Bernstein said.
She added that Long told them he was simply "releasing
No comments:
Post a Comment