Former Indiana pastor Jack Schaap has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for having sex with an underage girl who attended his church. Schaap, who led the mega-congregation of about 40,000, seduced the girl when she came to him for counseling, the Northwest Indiana Times reports.
Proof of Schaap's misdeed came in the form of letters from the victim, which prosecutors used in the case against him:
"When you first kissed me I was shocked . . . When I asked you if it was wrong, you said 'No.' You told me that I was sent you from God, I was his gift to you. You made me feel special."
The prosecution and defense had agreed on a ten year sentence, which U.S. District Court Judge Rudy Lozano said did not meet the federal minimum required. Another two-years were subsequently added onto Schaap's sentence.
Schaap, during his sentence, said he began the romance with the best of intentions:
"I thought I wanted to be this family's savior. Sometimes people try to be heroes . . . in trying to be a hero, I became a fool."
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