A Southern Baptist pastor who previously served as a seminary administrator has been indicted in federal court on one charge of falsifying records to cover up a report of sexual abuse.
This is the first indictment of a Southern Baptist Convention official amid several years of reckoning over sexual abuse claims and the mishandling of those claims.
The May 21 indictment of Matthew Queen, 49, in the Southern District of New York is the first visible fruit of an FBI investigation of the SBC that began in 2022. If convicted, Queen could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Matthew Queen
Queen, now pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was arraigned on the charge before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan Tuesday. He had begun serving the North Carolina church just months ago after relocating from Texas.
He is a former evangelism professor who previously held the L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (a position known as the “Chair of Fire”). At the time of the incident in question, he was serving as interim provost of the Fort Worth, Texas, seminary.
The indictment
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said of the indictment: “As alleged, Matthew Queen attempted to interfere with a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes in an attempt to corroborate his own lies. The criminal obstruction charge announced today should exemplify the seriousness of attempts by any individual to manipulate or interfere with a federal investigation.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith explained: “Matthew Queen, an interim provost, allegedly failed to inform the FBI of a conspiracy to destroy evidence related to the ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct and instead produced falsified notes to investigators. Queen’s alleged actions deliberately violated a court order and delayed justice for the sexual abuse victims. The FBI will never tolerate those who intentionally lie and mislead our investigation in an attempt to conceal their malicious behavior.”
“The FBI will never tolerate those who intentionally lie and mislead our investigation in an attempt to conceal their malicious behavior.”
The FBI reports that in October 2022, a grand jury subpoena was issued to Southwestern Seminary. “Among other things, the subpoena required the production of all documents in the seminary’s possession related to allegations of sexual abuse against anyone employed by or associated with the seminary.”
In November 2022, an unnamed seminary employee “received a report alleging that a current seminary student had committed sexual abuse,” the report explains. That employee “immediately notified the campus police at the seminary. No further action was taken by the seminary at that time, however, and the allegation was not reported to the U.S. attorney’s office.”
Then in January 2023, the first employee “created a document describing the sexual abuse allegation” from November 2022 “and the failure of the seminary to take action regarding the allegation at that time.”
On Jan. 26, 2023, the complaint alleges, that employee met with Queen, when was serving as interim provost. “During that meeting, and in Queen’s presence,” another unnamed employee “directed” the first employee “to destroy the document.”
Four months later, when the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI interviewed Queen in Fort Worth about the Jan. 26, 2023, meeting, “Queen falsely stated that he had not heard Employee 2 direct Employee 1 to destroy the document.”
Further, the complaint alleges, Queen later produced falsified notes about these events in response to a grand jury subpoena. The complaint also alleges further lies to federal investigators.
Then on June 21, 2023, Queen “testified under oath that he had in fact heard Employee 2 direct Employee 1 to make the document ‘go away.’”
What’s charged and what’s not
The complaint and indictment do not reveal the identities of Employee 1 or Employee 2. Nor do they reveal the identity of the alleged abuser or the alleged victim. It is not known whether legal action is being taken against the unnamed Employee 2 who said to make the abuse complaint go away.
It is not known whether legal action is being taken against the unnamed Employee 2 who said to make the abuse complaint go away.
The indictment does not address the actual abuse or the perpetrator of that abuse. It is focused instead on the alleged attempt to cover up knowledge of the abuse.
It claims Queen “knowingly altered, destroyed, mutilated, concealed, covered up, falsified, and made a false entry in a record, document, and tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of a department and agency of the United States” and “provided to the United States Attorney’s Office a false document, with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office.”
Response
Queen said through Baptist Press May 23 that he has pleaded not guilty to the charges and never would have done what he is accused of doing.
Southwestern Seminary issued a response Tuesday afternoon:
“The indictment against Matt Queen, a former seminary administrator and professor, stems from a report in November 2022 of an alleged sexual abuse committed by a Texas Baptist College student. Within hours of becoming aware of an arrest warrant for the student on January 24, 2023, the seminary facilitated the arrest of the accused student, who was suspended and later withdrew from the college.
“When the institution became aware of the original report and the later responses of certain staff, the seminary disclosed the matter to the Department of Justice, as required by a DOJ subpoena. The seminary has repeatedly informed staff of their duty to fulfill the obligations of the subpoena. The seminary has and will continue to cooperate fully with the DOJ in its investigation of sexual abuse.
“After the seminary learned of Queen’s actions in June 2023, he was immediately placed on administrative leave and resigned as interim provost. All employees alleged to have acted improperly in this matter are no longer employed by the seminary.
“Southwestern Seminary takes seriously its moral and legal duties to care for victims of sexual abuse. The actions alleged in the indictment are antithetical to the values of the seminary.”
BNG reported in January 2023 about a Texas Baptist College student, Christian “Curly” Flores, who was arrested Jan. 24, 2023, on charges of felony sexual assault. In Texas law, “felony sexual assault” is a specific term meaning rape. Sexual assault in Texas is defined as one of five “coercive sexual acts,” including “forcible and violent intercourse with penetration or sexual contact, even when both parties consent” as well as “intercourse and penetration without the consent of one of the parties.”
An arrest report from the Mansfield, Texas, Police Department lists Flores’ age as 20 at the time.
Related article:
Southwestern Seminary student arrested for alleged ‘felony sexual assault’
The Department of Justice has closed its investigation of the SBC — maybe?