Brother of TD Jakes’ accuser says pastor tried to assault him

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Pastor Richard Edwin Youngblood — the older brother of Duane Youngblood, whom Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s Home hit with a defamation lawsuit final yr for alleging the megachurch pastor sexually assaulted him when he was a young person some 40 years in the past — has accused Jakes of attempting to sexually assault him, too.

Richard Youngblood’s declare is amongst a number of sworn affidavits supporting his brother included in a 167-page movement filed final Thursday in search of to dismiss Jakes’ defamation lawsuit pursuant to Pennsylvania’s anti-SLAPP statute. The submitting was reviewed by The Christian Submit.

“He secured a room with two beds in it, and we went to the room for the evening. That evening, whereas I used to be laying in my mattress, I felt Elder Jakes climb into my mattress. He pressed his physique towards mine and requested, ‘Youngblood, do you are feeling that?’ He was referencing his erection that he was urgent towards my bottom,” Richard Youngblood wrote in an affidavit filed with a federal courtroom in Pennsylvania.

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“I acquired up off the bed in full shock as he additionally [got] up from the other aspect and met me. He grabbed me by my arms and pulled me to him and began attempting to kiss me. At this level, I can’t consider what is going on to me.”

Others who’ve made sworn affidavits in help of Duane Youngblood’s claims are Jeffrey S. Grey, who additionally shared Duane Youngblood’s disclosures about Jakes; Daniel B. Spaulding; LaShawn Youngblood; Joshua Munoz; and Landon Claybourne.

Along with his earlier declare, Duane Youngblood alleges within the movement that since he has gone public, Jakes and his associates “have engaged in retaliatory conduct to silence him.”

In line with the movement, Duane Youngblood reported “receiving threats from people related to Plaintiff, together with his son.”

The Christian Submit requested touch upon the movement from The Potter’s Home. A response is pending. 

The SLAPP acronym in Pennsylvania’s anti-SLAPP statute stands for Strategic Lawsuits Towards Public Participation. It was signed into regulation by Gov. Josh Shapiro final July, Bochetto & Lentz notes. The statute permits, amongst different issues, a defendant in a defamation lawsuit to file an early movement to dismiss the case on the grounds that the defamation declare is frivolous.  

Duane Youngblood’s legal professional, Tyrone A. Blackburn, contends that his shopper’s allegations towards Jakes are protected public expression as a result of they’re addressing issues of great public concern, “together with systemic abuse and institutional accountability inside spiritual organizations.”

Blackburn argues that Jakes has but to display “falsity, precise malice, or actionable hurt” from the claims of his shopper.

“Permitting Plaintiff’s claims to proceed would violate public coverage, as it will chill constitutionally protected speech on issues of public concern and contradict the legislative intent of Pennsylvania’s Anti-SLAPP statute,” Blackburn argues.

“Plaintiff, Thomas Dexter ‘T.D.’ Jakes, a self-proclaimed religious chief revered by thousands and thousands, has weaponized this lawsuit to not search justice however to muzzle the voice of fact. His hypocrisy is staggering — standing within the pulpit on Sundays to evangelise advantage whereas allegedly participating in wicked acts betraying the ideas he claims to uphold,” Blackburn states.

“As Scripture warns, ‘Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothes however inwardly are ravenous wolves’ (Matthew 7:15). Plaintiff epitomizes this warning, utilizing his platform to mission a picture of righteousness whereas allegedly abusing his energy to fulfill his closeted gay needs,” the movement provides.

Duane Youngblood, 58, a former-pastor-turned-registered intercourse offender, claimed in interviews with web persona Larry Reid on his “Larry Reid Stay” present on Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, 2024, that the now 67-year-old Jakes sexually assaulted him when he was about 18 or 19 years outdated.

Attorneys for Jakes argued in a 20-page defamation lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court docket in western Pennsylvania final November that Duane Youngblood had conspired with others to extort Jakes. They pointed to his historical past of abusing minors, for which he has served time.

Duane Youngblood is at the moment on parole below the supervision of Pennsylvania’s Division of Parole. He was charged with inappropriately touching two teenage victims whereas he was counseling them between 2009 and 2011. In a single occasion, he reportedly engaged the sufferer on about 25 events.

Regardless of his brother’s failures, 62-year-old Richard Youngblood alleges in his affidavit that he, too, was attacked by Jakes in a lodge room as a younger minister. He added that his youthful brother instructed him about his personal encounter years in the past as properly.

In line with his sworn testimony, Richard Youngblood was about 28 within the fall of 1990 when he spoke along with his then 24-year-old youthful brother about what occurred between him and Jakes within the spring of 1986 when he was about 24. 

Richard Youngblood mentioned he was a younger minister praying for God’s path in his life on the time when his father instructed him about Elder T.D. Jakes, who was a visitor speaker at The Refuge Temple Church in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.

When he noticed Jakes preach at a week-long revival campaign, he was impressed and started harboring concepts of Jakes serving to him in his ministry ambitions. He quickly linked with Jakes, who’s 5 years older than him.

“On one of many nights of the revival, Jakes talked about that he can be heading house to West Virginia for the weekend to his house church however returning to Pittsburgh at one other church the next week. Following one of many providers that week, I requested Elder Jakes if I may drive him to his church in West Virginia since he was returning the next week. To my shock, he mentioned sure,” Richard Youngblood recalled.

He mentioned he stayed in Jakes’ house that weekend and met his spouse and two sons. After a collection of discussions, Richard Youngblood moved his younger household to West Virginia to hitch Jakes’ ministry, Temple of Religion.

Richard Youngblood was rapidly elevated to function Jakes’ armorbearer. In that place, he served as Jakes’ assistant, driving him round and ensuring he had what he wanted for ministry. He would additionally turn out to be the reward and worship chief. After the beginning of his son in June 1987, Richard Youngblood mentioned the connection between him and Jakes began getting “bizarre.”

“That is my landmark of when issues began to turn out to be bizarre. The conversations Jakes began to have with me had shifted from ministry and God to extra issues about him. He shared an uncomfortable story about how he taught his spouse to have oral intercourse with him. There have been different uncomfortable issues he mentioned which I attempted very exhausting to place into perspective in order that it will make sense for me,” the affidavit states.

He said that Jakes’ then Temple of Religion was half of a bigger group known as the Better Emmanuel Apostolic Religion Tabernacle Inc. When Jakes acquired promoted to bishop, he started touring to church buildings within the group nationally.

In 1988, the yr Jakes grew to become bishop, he needed to attend a compulsory assembly. Jakes requested Richard Youngblood to journey with him to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was throughout this journey that Richard Youngblood alleges Jakes propositioned him.

“He requested me to accompany him as his driver which I used to be joyful to do as a result of I might get the chance to go to with my dad and mom and siblings. He determined that we might head there a day early which meant we needed to get a lodge for the evening. We stopped at what I consider was an EconoLodge in Westover WV,” Richard Youngblood writes.

Richard Youngblood mentioned that the room Jakes booked had two beds. After going to mattress for the evening, the submitting claims Jakes climbed into Richard Youngblood’s mattress and rubbed his physique towards Youngblood’s bottom. After leaping off the bed in shock, Richard Youngblood concluded that Jakes tried to groom him. He mentioned Jakes was saved at bay the remainder of the evening. 

“On our means again after the assembly, I introduced up what occurred and expressed my excessive discomfort and that I liked my spouse,” Richard Youngblood’s submitting reads. “His response was a slight grunt one thing like ‘hmmm’ to which I requested what that meant and he responded that it sort of harm his emotions to listen to me say that. I’m now extra confused than ever about what I’ve gotten myself and household into.”

Richard Youngblood mentioned he contacted an elder in his church named Silas Wheeler about what occurred within the lodge room. He claims Wheeler shared his story with Jakes, who allegedly retaliated.

“Jakes subsequently calls me into his workplace the place he berates me for sharing what occurred. He says, ‘It was like Wheeler was within the lodge with a digital camera.’ He then says, ‘You did not care about my spouse’ to counsel she might discover out his secret,” Youngblood wrote.

Youngblood mentioned he requested one other minister who shared a duplex with him if Jakes ever tried something sexually with him. And he mentioned, “I’ve by no means been awoke with nothing like that.”

He mentioned he started questioning himself internally about what he might need carried out to make Jakes assume he was homosexual.

“Ultimately, he instructed me that I may now not attend his church, known as my spouse, instructed her that I used to be a liar and to watch out for me and likewise that though I used to be now not allowed to attend the church, she may. I known as him after being instructed this from my spouse and shared some selection phrases,” Richard Youngblood writes.

“From that day till current years, I’ve had psychological and religious anguish as I used to be left to bear such a burden as the key of Jakes’ sexuality and the way in which through which I came upon. It has been 39 years of my life, my now ex-wife and our youngsters, merchandise of a damaged house and our religion crushed to items,” he provides. “All as a result of I merely needed somebody to assist me turn out to be my greatest self. I used to be completely and fully deceived by Thomas Dexter Jakes. (T.D. Jakes).”