Perilous Times
Former pastor, NAMB trustee, accused of fleecing flock
By Bob Allen
Friday, May 23, 2010
ST. LOUIS (ABP) -- A former Southern Baptist pastor in Missouri has
been indicted on charges of using his position to defraud church
members into loaning him money that he did not repay.
According to St. Louis media, a four-count federal indictment for mail
fraud accuses Danny O'Guin, former pastor of Parker Road Baptist Church
in Florissant, Mo., of using false pretenses to convince elderly church
members to loan him money that he told them was to repair residences he
owned out of the state.
He allegedly told the parishioners to "keep quiet" about the loans.
When church members inquired about his failure to repay the loans, the
indictment alleges, he would borrow money from other church members to
pay the debt. Other alleged schemes include writing letters promising
that payment was forthcoming and sending checks with "mistakes" on them.
In one instance, authorities say, he wrote a check for $1,125 to
satisfy a debt of $10,125. When the lender pointed out the error,
O'Guin sent a substitute check that bounced.
Church leaders said O'Guin was pastor of the suburban St. Louis
congregation from 2006 until February 2009, when he resigned after
allegations against him prompted conflict in the church. He reportedly
now lives with his son in Texas.
Before coming to Parker Road O'Guin was pastor of Tower Grove Baptist
Church in St. Louis for 10 years. He was elected as a trustee of the
Southern Baptist Convention North American Mission Board in 1999 and in
2003 and chaired the Missouri Baptist Convention's credentials
committee in 2008.
Authorities say O'Guin, 62, stole thousands of dollars between June
2006 and March 2009 from church members who felt obliged to lend him
money because he was in a position of religious authority. If
convicted, each of the four counts carries a maximum penalty of 20
years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.