TOLEDO (WTOL) - As the trial of Anthony Haynes moved into its second day Tuesday, the U.S. District Court heard a graphic testimony from the victim at the center of the government’s case.
Haynes is a Toledo pastor accused of child sex-trafficking, sexually exploiting a child, engaging in a child sex trafficking conspiracy and obstructing a sex trafficking investigation.
In an over three-hour testimony, the victim told the courtroom that Haynes manipulated her. She said she was afraid to say anything for three years because she didn’t think anyone would believe her due to Haynes’ position as a pastor. “I just let it happen,” she said.
U.S. Attorneys first questioned the victim on her childhood. She said her troubled life began when her mother delivered her at 16, and she (the victim) was molested by two different family members during her childhood.
She said her mother introduced her to Anthony Haynes at his church, Greater Life Christian Center. Her mother told him about her troubled childhood. The victim said Haynes called her to the front of the church, pledging before the congregation to be her father and to look out for her. From this point on, she says she called Anthony “dad” and his wife Alisa “mom.” He became the dominant father-figure in her life.
In June 2014, after multiple neglect cases involving her mother, the victim moved in with the Haynes family at 14 years old. Just weeks after moving in, the victim says she recalls Haynes and his step-daughter Alexis Fortune asking her if she could keep secrets. She said Haynes later had oral sex with Fortune in front of her. She told the courtroom she remembers feeling shock and looking out the window.
Days later, the victim said Haynes coaxed her into having oral sex with Fortune while he recorded it on his cell phone. She said Haynes first had sex with her at his church. For the next three years, the victim said Haynes would have sex with her multiple times a week in cars, motels, churches, even the break room of a store where he worked.
While he wasn’t physically threatening, the victim said Haynes was not supportive of her unless she was having sex with him. She said he gave her money for things she needed after sex. U.S. attorneys showed this through messages sent between the two. In one, the victim asked Haynes for money for her hair. He replied asking what was in it for him.
At 15, the victim said Haynes introduced her to Kenneth Butler, another pastor charged in the case who took a plea deal last year. In her first sexual encounter with Butler, she said Haynes told her to undress in front of them, then both men had sex with her in Haynes’ church. Soon after, Butler also began meeting the victim for sex. She said he also paid her.
Kenneth Butler took the stand before the victim, testifying in exchange for a plea deal with the government. He said Haynes called him over to his church where he had his first sexual encounter with the victim. He said he knew she was underage.
In 2016, after she moved out of Haynes’ house and in with her guardian, the victim said she started going to her granny’s (her guardian’s) church, Abundant Life Ministries. There, she met Pastor Cordell Jenkins.
In the fall of 2016, the victim said Haynes was sending Jenkins her nude pictures. When she told Haynes that Jenkins had called her on the phone to check on her, she says Haynes said that was a good thing because Jenkins had lots of money. “That was the mission,” she told the courtroom.
After her and Jenkins’ first sexual encounter in his office, the victim said Jenkins also began having sex with her in his church, house, and motels. She said he would pay her after each meeting. U.S. attorneys showed video and photos of them leaving one local motel. The victim told the courtroom Haynes orchestrated a plan with her to get more money from Jenkins. She said Haynes told her to ask him for $1,200 for tuition even though she didn’t owe tuition money at the time.
In 2017, the victim said she began to act out because of the abuse she was keeping bottled up inside. When her guardian confiscated her cell phone, she said she messaged Haynes, telling him to delete his Facebook account and all their messages. She said Haynes told her the delete button was her best friend. “I looked at him like a father figure despite the hurt,” she said.
Before the victim testified, Bryan Rogers took the stand as the first witness of the day. A long-time friend of Haynes and a mentor to the victim, he said he became concerned after the victim began confiding in him. She expressed how unhappy she was living with the Haynes. She was fighting frequently with Anthony’s wife Alisa, while Anthony would tell her details of their marriage. “None of this sits well with me,” Rogers told the courtroom. Rogers says he confronted Haynes about the situation, and Haynes denied that anything was going on.
Rogers said he and his wife bought the victim a cell phone, that later became crucial to the case. When the teen’s guardian took her phone away, Rogers told her to look through it. He says her next words struck him. “Bryan, she’s sleeping with my pastor!” The guardian apparently said after discovering the victim had been having sex with her pastor Cordell Jenkins.
The FBI eventually asked Rogers to call Haynes while they listened in on their conversation. During the conversation, Haynes admitted to “messing with” the victim in the past. He also admitted knowledge of a sexual relationship between the girl and Jenkins, but denied “pimping her out.”
On cross-examination, the defense asked the victim about Haynes’ involvement with the other pastors. The victim said while Haynes did not orchestrate her every encounter with Butler or Jenkins, he knew what was going on with them and would tell her what to say to Jenkins.
When U.S. attorneys asked the victim how she could be so calm throughout her testimony, she said instead of staying down, she’s going to use this experience to speak out for other girls who have been abused or trafficked.
Two other FBI agents also took the stand, testifying to the transactions processed from Haynes’ and Jenkins’ bank accounts, as well as the overall evidence in the case. Throughout the day, the courtroom remained full with many people who used to know Anthony Haynes or the other pastors Cordell Jenkins and Kenneth Butler. Many of them tell WTOL this situation shocks and saddens them, and they’ll never be able to trust a church the same way.
Closing arguments are expected in court Wednesday morning.
