NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk man who served as a youth group leader was convicted of sexual abuse Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Charles Willoughby III, 39, served as a youth group leader at New Life Worship Center (NLWC) in Norfolk. According to the DOJ, between 2006 and 2012, he groomed teenage girls in the church’s youth program to try to sexually abuse them.
In June 2012, an unnamed victim, who was 15 at the time, and other youth group members rode a chartered bus from NLWC to Georgia for a national church youth group conference. Willoughby was a chaperone on the trip.
During the bus trip, Willoughby forced the victim to engage in a sexual act, according to the DOJ.
She didn't disclose the abuse until 2018, and other victims were identified afterward.
He was found guilty of "traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor."
Willoughby will be sentenced on April 19, 2023, and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.