The "Apostle" of Christian Coalition Family Church Sent to Florida State Prison for Battery and Clergy Sexual Abuse

On May 27, 2026, Lorenzo Lee Crawford, 57, was transferred into the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) to begin serving time in prison.

Crawford faced a plethora charges ranging from child abuse to sexual battery, but he was only convicted of two: felony battery by repeat offender and sexual misconduct by a psychotherapist. Crawford committed the offenses within his role as the leader of Christian Coalition Family Church (CCFC) in Gainesville. His followers called him “Apostle.”

Taking a no-contest plea deal, Crawford was sentenced to seven years in prison with credit for roughly three years he served in jail while his cases were pending. Crawford’s prison sentence will be followed by five years of probation. Crawford was initially transferred from the Alachua County Jail to the FDC Medical and Reception Center. Sometime in June, he was transferred to Florida State Prison.

Under the plea agreement that was signed by Assistant State Attorney Darla Whistler, three of Crawford’s cases were dropped. At the hearing, Whistler indicated that some victims stopped engaging with the prosecution, which she cited as justification for dropping the cases. She indicated that the remaining two listed victims had input and consented to the plea deal. Whistler said the agreement was negotiated between Chief Assistant State Attorney Heather Jones and Crawford’s defense attorney, Thomas Edwards. 

“We worked this case to the bone and even [State Attorney] Brian Kramer has signed off on this one,” said Edwards. 

The plea deal was accepted by Judge Susanne Wilson Bullard, although she indicated concern about Crawford not having to register as a sex offender. 

Edwards told Bullard that the depositions caused the charges to change and said “there were a lot of facts that came out during the course of the depositions that kind of put it in a different light.”

While Bullard engaged in a private conversation with Edwards and Whistler, Crawford could be seen whispering to a deputy/bailiff who was standing next to him. They appeared to both smile about whatever it is they were talking about.

Until 2021, CCFC was located at 6040 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL, but they moved to 7501 SW 75th Street, Gainesville, FL. One witness described the present location as a “commune” or “compound” “that is fenced in with a large brick fence. It is on this compound where Lorenzo, who is the founder, lives with all of the members of the church. Members of the church refer to him not by name, but as Apostle. A woman named ‘Overseer’ accompanies him everywhere and frequently acts on behalf of him.”

CCFC’s nonprofit annual report provides insight into church leadership. The most recent form, dated April 2025, identifies Crawford as the registered agent and founder, with several other individuals named as directors. Crawford, along with the "Overseer," Erennquea Johnson, both provided an electronic signature, the document shows.

Crawford had a number of misdemeanor convictions under his belt prior to his arrest, most of which occurred prior to 2005. This includes, domestic battery, battery, violating a domestic violence injunction, violating pretrial release conditions, issuing a worthless check, driving without a valid license and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

The depositions in the cases have not been acquired, but GnvInfo did obtain over 200 pages of incident reports on Crawford’s cases from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. 

Editor’s Notes: Due to the number of victims and witnesses and confidentiality protections, it is difficult to differentiate each individual. It appears the reports are all for different victims, but between the several reports on Lorenzo Crawford and the further documentation on another suspect, there may be some overlap between victims and witnesses. The police reports aren’t presented completely chronologically, and some information that is presented could be outdated due to the time that's passed since the reports were issued.

2023 Lorenzo Crawford Reports 

Report 1 : 

From the fall of 2018 until early May 2023, Crawford “engaged in a calculated, manipulative, and systematic pattern of abuses” against the victim, reported Detective Justin Dillon. “Through the course of his conduct over this time, Crawford perpetrated numerous acts of sexual battery and a singular act of aggravated battery upon [the victim]."

During the fall of 2018, in the nighttime hours, the victim would be called into Crawford’s office, as required by all of the congregants.

The victim described Crawford grooming and making sexual advances against her for months, recalling him saying, “I know you want me” or “I know you think about having sex with me.”

The victim thought to herself, “I don’t want this… I want you to be my spiritual father… I don’t see you like that.”

The victim, having been involved with CCFC for several years, recalled feeling helpless against Crawford’s sexual abuse in her interview with police. Crawford escalated his violations against the victim as the sexual abuse continued over the proceeding months. 

The victim said that in 2019 Crawford began the habit of “house checks” for members of CCFC who lived in the community. She said that Johnson dropped Crawford off for one of these “checks” the first time he raped her. At the time, the victim was living at a residence with other CCFC members. 

“He says he’s going to the house to check to make sure your rooms were clean,” the victim described. "Someone would drop him off to the house and she would leave him there and that’s when he first laid down with me…” The victim began getting emotional and said, “I did not kiss that man back! I don’t know how he did not see the signs. But I just, like, I didn’t want to disrespect him. I can’t talk bad about the man of God. I can’t think about the man of God wrong or God was gonna chastise me. God was gonna get me. I was gonna die, like, I couldn’t tell the man of God ‘no’ and so that’s when he laid down with me the first time.” 

The victim sometimes had to take pregnancy tests due to Crawford’s sexual abuse, which continued for years. “Sometimes it would be at a hotel, sometimes it would be at the church,” she described. “He would do what he would do and then throw me a rag, tell me to ‘get myself together’ and then I would leave. So, it just depended. Sometimes on my off days, he would tell me to come to the office, sometimes in the middle of the night. It didn’t matter what time. At night it was he would call and I would come. I started to think ‘ok, like, maybe I can pretend like I’m asleep or if I ignore his texts…’ or ‘If I just go to sleep…’ But I’ve gotten in trouble for that. He told me about people who’ve died who ignore the man of God. People who lose their stuff, lose their jobs when they tell the man of God no… Apostle breaks people up and then he uses that to comfort them and lays down with them. He sleep-deprives us, we barely get any sleep. He gets everything for us, says that he has everything for us. He cuts us off from our family where we’re totally dependent on him and we have nowhere to go.”

The victim recalled fearing retaliation from Crawford and alienation from CCFC. Crawford got her a job, and would often tell her, “I’m the reason you have that car, why you have a place to stay, why you have a job. Everything that you have is because of me.” 

The victim said, “I’ve contemplated [leaving] so many times [but] I didn’t know where I was gonna go. Cause I completely cut myself off from my family. He said that my family was evil and that if they’re not following in the church, they’re not going right.” 

The victim indicated that the final time Crawford raped her, his reasoning for being at her residence was to “check” if another congregant had insulin because he instructed her to stop taking the medicine. The victim indicated that Crawford did not check for insulin and began sexually advancing. The victim resisted and Crawford responded by saying, “you think you can tell me no?" and "I have a key to the house. I can go in whenever I want… You can't tell the man of God no!"

Dillon reported that the victim “illustrated a notable pattern of manipulation and coercion under the pretenses of religious justification… Each of these acts were perpetrated under the premise of God’s wishes as the Defendant [Lorenzo Crawford] had so indoctrinated the victim, causing in her a true fear of reprisal from her ‘apostle’ should she resist.”

The victim said that Lorenzo Crawford's wife, Raqual Crawford, is considered second in charge of CCFC, but clarified that her husband "doesn't have anything run by her."

Describing the overseer, Johnson, the victim said that everything in CCFC goes through her. The victim said that Johnson came to CCFC when she was 16 and rose through the ranks to become overseer. “She's basically in [Lorenzo’s] right hand,” the victim described. “He calls her his armor bearer… She does everything for him. She drives him around, cuts up his food.”

“Is there any sort of romantic relationship there as well, to your knowledge?” Dillon asked. 

The victim said she has “heard things” but “never seen anything between them.” 

The victim described "Prophetess" Reese, or Arifah Reese, as another leading member. “They call this the fivefold,” she described. “You go to her, you know, any money situation, you go to her. She handles all the finances with the church. She handles any events. She handles planning because she's a secretary... When it comes to somebody [wanting] to speak to Apostle about speaking at [the] church, they have to go through her. She kept our money. That was our free will. She had a say for each person who wanted to... start like a savings. She kept our money so we would have to go through her… about supplies and stuff. I would go to her when I cook for the church… I would have to go to her if I didn't do things right. Like, I didn't clean out the sink correctly. I would have to go to her if I didn't clean something correctly or I didn't put something back correctly; I would have to go to her… She ran like the business.”

Dillon asked who number five was, and the victim said, "It's actually more than five people, but he calls them the fivefold. So, the next person in line is Evangelist Wilson. That's [Lorenzo's] aunt. She just came back. She left the church… I don't know her first name. We don't go by first names. I just know her last name is Wilson… nothing goes through her.”

The victim said that Lorenzo Crawford, his son Edwin, his daughter Arienne, his wife Raqual, Johnson and her son all lived together on church property. She added that people from Jacksonville would come and stay at the property on the weekends. The victim said that Edwin Crawford was a leading member of CCFC and that Arienne Crawford was a minister but not a member of the “fivefold.”

As the interview continued, Dillon asked the victim to describe each of the rooms of at CCFC. As she’s going through them, she mentions the “fire pit” where congregants “go to burn [their] stuff.” 

“Trash and things?” Dillon asked. 

“Our own personal stuff,” replied the victim. 

Dillon asked why they would burn their own stuff. The victim responded that sometimes “it had hell in it” and “it was evil.” 

“Was the fire never used recreationally, or was it more of a ceremonial thing from what you're describing?” Dillon asked. 

The victim said the fireplace “was used for that” but confirmed that Lorenzo Crawford deemed the fire “holy” and would sometimes preach around it. 

The victim also described how she entered a secret relationship with another member of CCFC as Lorenzo Crawford’s sexual abuse was ongoing. When he found out, he made the victim and the young man she was seeing burn belongings they had bought each other and end their relationship.

Lorenzo Crawford went on to take the victim's clothes off and beat her using a belt. He made her look at the bruises while making sexually immoral comments.

Dillon told the victim, “I can't imagine that separating yourself from a church you've been in for the last ten years was an easy process. And I hope that working through this and again, I'm not a minister, I'm not necessarily even a person of faith, but understand how important faith can be for folks. So, I hope in working through this process, you find that faith and somewhere safer to carry it on…”

The victim said that around 50 or 60 people attended the congregation but multiple individuals left around the same time she did.

Dillon told the victim, “As far as your time in the church, we've had some concerning revelations from folks that we've already talked to, both current members and former members, from everything from physical abuse to some concerns of potential sexual abuse from various members of the church… We've had several children that have reported more or less beatings at the hands of the apostle. We had one child state [they] were struck with a belt so hard that it broke the skin and they were bleeding afterwards. Did you ever witness anything like that?”

“I watched him beat the kids with a belt,” disclosed the victim. “Sometimes he did it in front of the church. Sometimes he did it in the kids’ room with the doors closed, but, we would hear it… He said. ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child,’ and that ‘they had to learn that was the best way to do it or your child was going to end up like a serial killer in jail…’”

At first, Lorenzo Crawford reportedly asked parents for permission before beating their kids, but it got to a point where he didn’t ask for permission. 

The victim told Dillon she wanted to pursue criminal charges because she wasn’t the only victim of Lorenzo Crawford’s sexual abuse. “The night that we found out that all of us were going through this is the night that we left,” she said. 

Dillon told the victim, “I can't empathize with what it is you've been through because I haven't been there myself. But I can tell you that professionally speaking, for as long as I've been doing this job. Folks that abuse other folks, especially in the manner that he abused you, are all the same. And the level of control and demanding behaviors that they expect of you. That's what allows them to victimize you. You had no fault in any of this…” 

The victim’s description of leaving CCFC was akin to an escape, with Lorenzo Crawford reportedly directing Renae Brewer, a CCFC congregant, to block their way as Johnson was on her way to stop them.

The victim said she felt like the sexual abuse was her fault, and Dillon told her, “I can promise you that it's not. From everything that you've described to me, Lorenzo is a manipulative, intelligent, but manipulative and controlling individual that made you into the victim that he wanted. I can't applaud your bravery more to get out and to bring all these women with you and to work together to make sure that you all are safe.” 

Report 2

In May 2023, ACSO processed a report by the mother of a 16-year-old victim. The mother, identified as a witness in the report, said that Lorenzo Crawford beat her child until she was bleeding. Throughout the report, the 16-year-old victim is frequently identified as “JV” which stands for Juvenile Victim.  

The witness disclosed that Lorenzo Crawford would beat many children attending CCFC. 

Deputy Andrew Blake Adams reported, “Lorenzo Lee Crawford demands the congregation address him as ‘Apostle...’ Crawford is extremely restrictive over the congregations' personal lives including unannounced home visits. In January or February 2023, this JV was an ‘outcry’ witness of another juvenile in the church. That juvenile told this JV they were being sexually abused by [Renae Brewer], an adult member of the church.”

Adams’ report continues, “The JV told a family member who reported it to Lorenzo Lee Crawford... Crawford brought the JV to his office located in the fellowship hall. Witness 1 was with the JV but Lorenzo Lee Crawford made them stand outside his office... Crawford lectured the JV on minding their own business...” Lorenzo Crawford did not ask any questions about the sexual abuse JV reported; instead he made her take their pants off and beat her with a belt.

The report states JV's mother was “allowed” inside after the beating concluded. The victim had marks for roughly four months. Lorenzo Crawford had beaten her before, but this abuse was the most mentally and physically impactful.

Adams described Lorenzo Crawford’s actions as malicious and willful torture, done with intent to cause humiliation. “In my experience investigating dozens of cases specifically where a belt was the mechanism to inflict the abuse, I don’t recall any of them being utilized in such a cruel manner. Moreover, leaving such a pronounced impression after so much time had passed,” he reported.

Adams assisted with the search of church property and described handwritten notes which were found, one of which is further evidence of an unlawful relationship between Renae Brewer and a boy.

Adams also described Lorenzo Crawford committing further child abuse against yet another victim; however, he did not move forward with charges because he was unable to determine if it occurred within the four-year statute of limitations. Regarding this victim, Adams reported they “disclosed the rank and file of CCFC and gave examples of Lorenzo Lee Crawford’s coercion and control. Her disclosure was consistent with other victims/witnesses associated with this case.” She said that Lorenzo Crawford beat her because she had a crush on a boy. Reportedly in the presence of Johnson and another person whose name is redacted, Lorenzo Crawford made the victim bend over with her hands on a chair, beating her with a belt. The beating left bruises and welts across her body.

Renae Brewer Incident Report 

Based on a search of court records in Alachua County, no charges were pressed against Brewer; however, she was named as a suspect and subject to an investigative report. Brewer’s report also contains further information on Lorenzo Crawford’s crimes. 

On May 12, 2023, Deputy Anthony Wenk responded to a complaint regarding sexual battery against a child. The complainant advised that an acquaintance (the witness) came over to her residence and began talking about an incident she observed at CCFC within the prior two weeks. 

The witness reportedly told the complainant that she entered a “kids area” and observed a 14-year-old boy sitting on the lap of Brewer, a 27-year-old woman. The report indicates that Brewer was allowing the child to “sexually” grab and rub her genitals while engaging in sex talk.

The complainant was on the phone with another person while the witness was telling her about it. The person on the other line recorded the conversation and sent it to the complainant. The complainant provided Wenk with clips from the conversation. 

Based on the report, Lorenzo Crawford didn't just have knowledge of Brewer's relationship with the 14-year-old boy, but actively encouraged it, telling the complainant that Brewer was "too fast" and that he wanted to "slow her down."

The complainant explained that Lorenzo Crawford wanted Brewer and the victim to be romantic or sexual partners. Johnson allegedly had knowledge of the relationship as well, the report states.

According to Florida law, "A person who knowingly and willfully fails to report to the central abuse hotline known or suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect, or who knowingly and willfully prevents another person from doing so, commits a felony of the third degree."

It doesn't appear anyone was charged with failing to report suspected child abuse.

The complainant told Wenk that Lorenzo Crawford is a cult leader and explained how he “commits crimes against people that are sexual in nature and convinces victims to protect him due to his position in the church.” The complainant advised that “Lorenzo kicked her out of the church several years ago due to an incident where Lorenzo gathered the women of the church in a park and began asking questions that were sexually explicit such as ‘what do you all do when your vagina gets wet?”’ The complainant explained that she confronted Lorenzo Crawford about this inappropriate incident and he “kicked her out of the compound.”

Wenk asked the the complainant if she had any further knowledge of sexual abuse at CCFC. She “stated she does not have any factual knowledge but knows that many of the women there have been there since childhood and have become pregnant during their time at the compound. She also stated that Lorenzo frequently takes children into his office or their rooms alone.”

Supplemental Report 

Editor’s Notes: This report is listed as a supplemental under the incident report regarding Brewer, but it pertains to Lorenzo Crawford.

Detective Dillon indicated that the complainant’s report was a driving factor in ACSO’s investigation into Lorenzo Crawford. Soon after, Dillon was able to arrange a meeting with five or six former members of the Church. 

Dillon was able to interview a woman who attended CCFC from 2015 to 2020. She said she was recruited by “Prophetess” Arifah Reese, who at the time was a nurse at her doctor’s office.

The witness identified Johnson as a “potential romantic partner” of Lorenzo Crawford. She said Raqual Crawford was the “second in command” but that she didn’t have any roles or responsibilities. 

The witness recalled “the first tears” she cried at CCFC. She recalled visiting the beach with several members of CCFC for the 4th of July. Being at the beach, the witness was wearing a bathing suit. She quoted Raqual Crawford as saying, “Oh, I think you should put on some shorts and a top.” 

The witness described how Lorenzo Crawford told her to “stop working a certain job" when she needed a job with benefits. She continued, “Their whole thing was after service. You know, we all eat together. There was no going home early. ‘Why do you want to go home early?’ You know, ‘you going home to hell?.. You have to ask permission to leave… It's like, okay, well, maybe this is a new thing. Maybe, you know, this is what's going to make us better…”

The witness recalled Lorenzo Crawford ritualistically saying good night, disclosing, “Then there [were] nights where you couldn't go home. You would have to line up in a line to say goodnight to him and just a whole lot of stuff… Then he would take you in the office alone. And so my interactions in the office were… I'll sit. He'll sit at his desk, you'll be there, [he will] have a cigar in his mouth or [be] sipping on something."

During her years at CCFC, the witness noted an increasing amount of attention from Lorenzo Crawford, which she hoped would mean an elevation in her status at the church. She said, “I poured out my heart just about everything. And I felt that… he respected that and appreciated that from me… I was hoping… to become someone… like, if I'm accepted by you, then I was hoping to one day be… be on the government… as a leader… I want to be able to help people… I want to be accepted by God. So that was never the case… He would always say, 'Oh, he's watchin.’ So, if you're being watched, I mean, you're close to being, you know, elevated. That was never my case… [I] stayed in trouble [with Lorenzo]... I was so ‘disobedient.’ I wasn’t the person that felt like I should call you every day. I'm not doing that. I'm not going to call you every day to tell you my whereabouts. That's not okay with me. I'm not going to come every day that I'm not working and sit up under you. So, I was the one... [he'd] say, ‘Oh, she's a disobedient. Look at her black big nose self’ or stuff like that. He would try to humiliate me, but I wasn't bothered." 

Dillon reported that the witness described how Lorenzo Crawford “would publicly demean, humiliate, and even physically discipline congregants.”

The witness described an incident where Lorenzo Crawford acted inappropriately towards her and other women. “So he asks the question… ‘how do you handle it when you get wet down here?’ And so, you had, you know, some of the ladies answerin. So, when it was my go, I'm boiled, like I'm hot. I say to him, ‘I don't feel comfortable havin this conversation with you. I have a husband!’ And so, he says to me, ‘Oh, I know what that's about.’ [The other women said] ‘Oh, you were wrong. He's still your man of God.’ I said to them ‘I don't care who he is. I have a husband.’"

The witness said she was made to “repent” or apologize to Lorenzo Crawford and then described him making advances towards her. “He would ask me why I was ‘scared’ to get close to him. And when he would hug me, he would try to bring me in closer… He would always say to me… ‘back in the days he would have went with me.’ He would always like to take pictures. And he said to me one night, ‘Oh, you're looking good.’ I don't respond. And then I go to church the next day. He's like, ‘Why didn't you respond… [to] my texts?’ I'm like, ‘I don't know. Like, I don't know what you want me to respond to that.’”

Describing the incident that led to her departure from CCFC, the witness said she had a sexually inappropriate dream about Lorenzo Crawford, leading him to ask her why she was acting distant. She told him about the dream. "He was like, ‘Damn right!’ And he leaned in his chair," she described. "I was like, ‘Sir, that was inappropriate. That was wrong.’ He said, ‘No, hell it wasn't...’" She said Lorenzo's Crawford's reaction made her lose respect for him and feel uneasy.

2023 Lorenzo Crawford Reports (Continued) 

Report 3

As part of the investigation, Deputy Josh Dawson conducted an interview with another victim of Lorenzo Crawford. 

The victim attended CCFC for two years and explained that Lorenzo Crawford “convinced her that her family did not want anything to do with her.” She said he would preach that those who left CCFC or were "rebellious to God” would “lose their jobs, homes, family members or even their lives.” Lorenzo Crawford would tell the congregation “that it would be best for each person to see him each night for ‘protection.’” This ritual had been ongoing before the victim started attending CCFC.

When the victim was attending CCFC, she developed a relationship with another female (witness). Lorenzo Crawford learned of the relationship and told the victim she brought a “homosexual demon" into the church. Lorenzo Crawford told the victim she could either be whooped in front of the congregation or leave. 

“The victim told him that she would take the ‘whooping’” reported Dawson. “Crawford struck her with a belt in front of the congregation,” leaving the victim in pain for days. 

After this incident, Lorenzo Crawford began treating the victim differently. He told her that “everyone makes mistakes” and that he would “make a woman out of her.” Lorenzo Crawford continued grooming the victim, first touching her “innocently” but escalating overtime. The victim described how he touched her butt over her clothing and made inappropriate sexual comments. 

The report describes Lorenzo Crawford escalating to digital penetration, grooming the victim into believing it was to “help her” even though it caused her pain. The victim “felt weird and nasty, due to the fact he was married.” Lorenzo Crawford told the victim, “Don’t let this change us, don’t get addicted to me or fall in love with me.”

The victim disclosed two specific incidents where Lorenzo Crawford sexually battered her after she resisted his advances.

“You don’t tell me no,” Lorenzo Crawford told the victim. 

Report 4 

The victim told police that she was a part of CCFC for two years and recalled how Lorenzo Crawford began making inappropriate sexual comments towards her. The victim said that one night she went to see Lorenzo Crawford “to be dismissed” and he “grabbed her breast over her clothing."

The report states, "The victim backed away from him… Crawford apologized and laughed it off. He then asked her if he could touch her breast. The victim said, ‘no.’ She left the office.”

The victim described Lorenzo Crawford escalating to forceful sexual battery and claiming his hands were “holy” when she resisted. 

Lorenzo Crawford reportedly told the victim he “will get what he wants whenever he wants it," raping her multiple times at CCFC. He told her that if she refused she was “keeping herself from being saved.”

Lorenzo Crawford’s Arrest

On May 23, 2023, Lorenzo Crawford was booked into the Alachua County Jail and held on bond of well over $1 million.

As deputies walked him to a patrol vehicle, Lorenzo Crawford reportedly called out for one of his followers to contact his lawyer.

Dillon brought Lorenzo Crawford to an interview room, but nothing substantial occurred due to him requesting an attorney. Dillon reported that Lorenzo Crawford “showed no emotion at the mention of the charges.” As Dillon exited the room, Lorenzo Crawford said, “That’s crazy.” 

Johnson was on scene when Lorenzo Crawford was arrested, and she was “transported by patrol deputies” to the Sheriff's Office and interviewed. However, she was not booked into jail and it does not appear she was charged, based on a local court records search.

Dillon reported that throughout his interview with Johnson, “she offered short, often one word, or evasive answers.” Johnson frequently asked Dillon to “re-word” his questions. Dillon reported that she “offered little information which was not already known, however, she denied any knowledge of physical or sexual abuse" in CCFC.

Dillon reported that towards the end of the interview, seemingly unprompted, Johnson “stated that she was aware of various consensual sexual relationships between Crawford and women within the church.”

Johnson characterized the victims coming forward about the sexual abuse as “a plan to lie and say something happened" after learning of each other’s relationships. When asked for specific information about the women involved, Johnson only named one.

Dillon reported that there was “no information implicating” Johnson in criminal activity when his interview with her concluded. Dillon then “provided her a ride to the VA hospital to meet with a family member.”

Report 5 

As the investigation continued, Dillon spoke with another victim who joined CCFC in 2021 and spoke about several physical batteries Lorenzo Crawford perpetrated against her. This interview took place during the end of May or early June 2023, about a week or two following Lorenzo Crawford’s arrest. 

The victim said Lorenzo Crawford spanked her multiple times as a means of "discipline” and described how he’d manipulate Biblical scripture to coerce her into accepting his actions. The victim said she thought of Lorenzo Crawford as a father figure and was resistant when he first introduced spanking. “When I snatched back, he used the scripture… ‘Any child that refuses discipline is a bastard,’ he told me. He was like, ‘You want to be a bastard?’ [and] ‘You get out my face and you go, you be a bastard.’”

The victim recounted a number of abusive incidents Lorenzo Crawford perpetrated against her. She contrasted how CCFC barred her relationship with her boyfriend with an incident where Lorenzo Crawford, a married man, effectively came onto her physically. 

“We couldn’t date, we couldn’t speak,” she said. “We could be in the same room but it was like ‘what y’all doing in here?’ We couldn’t speak, he would get chastised, we would both get chastised ‘Y’all lusting after each other…’ ‘Y’all in the wrong. You don’t really love each other. You’re not friends.’ Like, we couldn’t even be friends. We had multiple conversations with him where I was just like ‘we’re just friends. Can I at least be his friend?’ Cause like me and [him] were intimate before we came to the church and that’s kind of what blew up… and we got separated so we couldn’t really be together. So, when this incident happened, it was kind of like ‘If you’re willing to that to me, I want to do it with who I want to do it with.’ In my head I’m like ‘You can’t tell me what to do no more because you're wrong.’ Like, I'm going to go do what I want to do, basically, because this image and everything that you portrayed, or standard we're supposed to follow is bull–”

The victim said that “You're doing some hell” was a common phrase in CCFC. “I remember a time that basically all the ladies was out to eat with him at the mall, basically… I got my nails and hair done. And I let him know…. ‘Hey, I just finished.’ And he was just like, ‘okay, well, we at the mall. We eatin.’ And honestly, me, I wanted to go home and cook a meal. I didn't want Chickfila or anything… I went home and basically, I ended up getting in a car wreck that day… The notion was basically, if you would have stayed with the flock, maybe that wouldn't happen, basically. So, that's kind of like the mental state you're in. It's like, okay, well, maybe I was wrong. I was trying to do my own thing. And it's like we're supposed to be a team. We’re supposed to be together. We’re supposed to stay together, basically, work as the body of Christ.”

The victim went on to speak about another congregant, (who has their name redacted in the quoted report), saying, “I don't know if she was one of the people that testified, but Sister [Redacted], she got burned. I wasn't there at the time, but the story [gets] brought up as an example to teach other people that you should stay in line… The story got up that basically Sister [Redacted]’s feet got burned because she had a secret relationship with somebody and she wasn't being honest. And also, he (Lorenzo) was apparently in the fire also, but he didn't get burned because he was holy, basically… A little bit before I got there, his son Evangelist Edwin's face got burnt and everything… When I looked up his name, that was one of the posts that came up and it's like the memory of ‘man of God healed me,’ basically. It's like ‘my face was completely burned and I had a full recovery…’ ‘by the prayers and the hands anointing of this man…’"

The victim said there “was the notion that I was the pretty young thing, basically, at church. Like, I was quote-unquote ‘fast.’ All the women was ‘fast,’ all of us was ‘predators.’ It was his words, basically ‘all the women was predators once upon a time,’ and all of us were ‘hoes. We need to acknowledge it,’ basically. ‘We need to come to an agreement' that way we can ‘fix it.’ It wasn't even just the women… Everybody was predators or hoes at one point, just because we had a past life. You've been out there in the streets for your endeavors or whatnot, you've grown, but basically, it's like that was the notion of everything… The men would kind of tell me… ‘oh, I got to stay clear from you…’ ‘It's going to look like we're trying to talk. I don't want to get in trouble.’ My boyfriend's brother, even at one point, it was the Easter Sunday and I was new there, so I didn't really have a clique or anything. It was like one of the first events I went to… He came and played kick ball with me… He was just like, ‘I'm getting in trouble for this.’ That was new. I was like, ‘what you mean?..’  He was just like, ‘because I'm over here talking to you… I'm getting trouble with this. I'm going to have a meeting…’ I asked one of the women, which was Minister Erin, I think I had rode in her car one time. I asked her… She was just like, ‘oh, he don't know what he's talking about. He's just overreacting. Nobody's going to get in trouble talking to you,’ basically.”

The victim said she spent “every day” with CCFC for an entire year because they “had church every day or whatnot.” 

The victim described how Johnson and a deaconess (whose name is redacted from the record) intervened when she tried to leave CCFC.

The victim said at the end of a service one day she told Lorenzo Crawford she was leaving, and he responded, “You’re going to be back.”

The victim described how it was around 6:00 a.m., still dark when she left, and she went to retrieve her daughter’s bike. CCFC imposed rules that women couldn’t walk around alone at night, so it raised a red flag when she was taking the bike to her car. The deaconess stopped her and began questioning her. The victim, in tears, told the deaconess she was leaving. The deaconess questioned the victim if she was “giving up on [her] faith” or “giving up on the movement.” The deaconess asked the victim why she was leaving, and she said she didn’t want to talk about it. 

The deaconess told the victim to leave her child’s bike because “another kid can use it,” to which the victim objected. The victim said the deaconess began questioning why she was leaving again. The victim said she was uncomfortable and the deaconess questioned why before Johnson walked out of the church and joined the conversation. Johnson reportedly questioned the victim if she was having an "episode" or going to "have sex" and "smoke." "That was my issues… before I got to church or whatnot…" the victim said.

The victim said the deaconess and/or Johnson went down a list of names asking if they're the person who made her uncomfortable before getting to "Apostle," leading to her being questioned further.

The victim advised that the deaconess and/or Johnson began sending her numerous messages after she got in her car and left. She said she did not feel comfortable going back to her home because members of CCFC knew where she lived. 

“I didn't want them to pop up because [there have] been stories in church of people trying to leave, and they popup and give them a pep talk and stuff like that,” she said. 

The victim said that she ended up going back to CCFC within a couple days after getting a text from an elder member. 

The victim said, “Regardless of what happened between me and him [(Lorenzo)], it's like I still enjoyed people at the church… They didn't burn the bridge with me. He did, basically. So, it was kind of like nobody knew why I left, but everybody started reaching out on the phone…”

The victim said that after she returned, she still felt like she did not want to be at CCFC. She said that she went into Lorenzo Crawford’s office. The victim said she told Lorenzo Crawford she didn’t like what happened between them and he replied, “What do you mean?.. Oh, you think I want you?.. You thought that's what happened? Like I want you?”

The victim said that Lorenzo Crawford told her the incident was a “learning experience” and that he wanted to show her she was “too open” or “too receptive,” effectively saying, “that's how easily [I] was able to do that.”

The victim told him, “I felt like you thought I was a hoe… For you to even approach me like that… You could have told me that I was too open… You didn't have to do that to show me a learning lesson.” 

The victim said that Lorenzo Crawford replied, “No, I don't see you as a hoe. I don't think that of you.” She responded, “Well, it's weird for me because I seen you as the father figure—”

Lorenzo Crawford cut the victim off, saying, “You never seen me as a father figure.”

The victim told Dillon, “That's when it came down to the line that he was ‘disciplining’ me, basically. It was kind of like, ‘you didn't see me as a father figure, but you were spanking me?’ basically.”

The victim said she brought up the incident a number of other times, and Lorenzo Crawford would reply, “You still on that? That's old news,” or “You still on this. Leave that alone. You think I want you?”

The victim said that around this time period she ran into her boyfriend (who she was not allowed to speak with) at the car wash. At the time, the boyfriend was staying at a house owned or appropriated by Lorenzo Crawford, but the individuals residing inside were his son, step-son and the boyfriend. The victim said he approached her and questioned what was wrong, seemingly able to tell that something bad had happened. The victim said she opened up and that she and her boyfriend secretly resumed their relationship.

The couple eventually told Lorenzo Crawford, who reportedly told the boyfriend to "pack all this stuff and get out of the house.”

Lorenzo Crawford reportedly told the couple they were engaging in "sin and lust," to which the boyfriend brought up how Lorenzo Crawford came onto the victim.

The victim said, “When he brought it up to him, Apostle basically told him like, ‘oh, yeah, I did it.’ He told him. He told plenty of people that he did it, which was baffling to me. He told plenty of people in the church that he did it and that he was ‘exposing the hoe…’ ‘It was a learning experience.’ He told me that. That was the bullshit he gave me. But he told them he was ‘exposing a hoe and she was a hoe. She wanted me.’ He was like, yeah, ‘I laid her down’ or whatnot…  He basically told everybody what happened. He was just like, ‘oh, she opened legs. It only leaves me with so many decisions…’ He basically had told [my boyfriend]... ‘She was a hoe. She let me do it. You're going to leave me and go be with a ho…’”

Struggling with the possibility of being homeless, the victim’s boyfriend initially decided to stay at CCFC but ended up being able to stay with the victim and her family member. The victim and her boyfriend later moved into their own residence. 

The victim described Lorenzo Crawford punching her in the shoulder multiple times on her last day at CCFC. 

As the interview progressed, Dillon asked the victim about Lorenzo Crawford’s relationship with Johnson.

The victim said, “the story I got when I got there cause, it's like everybody's story gets told as examples over and over again. So, Overseer apparently was with him since she was 16, 17. That's the story that got told. She'd been riding since 16,17, and that's why she's his number two. Overseer, basically—She might be young, but she over everybody. That was the story portrayed or whatnot… Honestly, there's no way you did this to half of the church, but the woman that's staying with you, you ain't do none of this too. There's no way that she was that bold. Basically, it had to start somewhere…”

The victim denied the existence of a romantic relationship between Lorenzo Crawford and Johnson but indicated there may have been something between him and Reese. The victim recalled an incident where Reese was complaining about her back hurting, and Lorenzo Crawford told her to let him see it. According to the victim, “they walked on the other side of the truck, basically. I can see [her] torso or whatnot. And she had kind of lifted her shirt, she had, like, a tank top on and he was like, massaging her back... He had her up on the truck and massaging her back. I was just kind of like ‘little inappropriate,’ basically. And it was just kind of like Overseer’s reaction to it, she was pissed off. She rolled her eyes and was upset… I always thought basically they loved each other, like Overseer and Prophetess, but at the same time, it was kind of like a jealousy thing. Like her reactions. Like she would kind of like roll her eyes behind her back or something.”

“I [would] always be around and I would see little things,” the victim said. “[Lorenzo] would take Prophetess to be his ‘nurse…’ It was an incident, basically. He had took Prophetess and he said that she had to ‘give him his medicine.’ It takes forever. I'm like, ‘Dang, I'm ready to leave, I'm going to leave.’ It was protocol to say goodbye and leave, basically. I'm ready to leave, like, ‘bro, what's going on?’ When I came in behind her, she was leaving… [Lorenzo] was adjusting [his] shirt, he had a tank top on. It was late at night... I don't know if he's seen a reaction on my face or whatnot, but I was kind of like looking. Like [this is] was when I first got there… He was just like, ‘oh, she got to put some cream on the back’ or whatnot. Like ‘old war injuries…’ That was kind of the notion… Apostle, he was holy. Only certain people could touch him. Only certain people could do things for him. People that God sent for him and put in place for him or whatnot. So, basically, Prophetess was his nurse, so maybe his wife couldn't have [done] it… He used to use the term ‘cup bearer…’ It's like you had to do God's work. You had to put yourself in the cupbearer's shoes, basically, to be a servant… You do stuff in the name of [a] Prophet, you receive a Prophet reward... It's like anything that you do for God's prophets, Apostle, Overseer, Prophetess, and you see them as that honestly, God set them in the placement of spiritual gifts they have. Then you will receive a reward.”

The victim talked about a conversation she had with another victim. “I was like, ‘Why did you leave the church?’ And she was like, ‘Why you asked me that?’ And I told her... I told her my incident first. I told her, ‘honestly, he touched me the wrong way, and I left.’ And I said, ‘Other women are coming out, and they got deeper allegations [where] he was sleeping with them...' I asked her... she said, ‘well, yeah, [Redacted], I was intimate with him…’ She said, 'I enjoyed it at first,' but she said, 'more so, it became like a duty...' Like she 'had to' because she was staying with [Redacted]. That was the only house she had, basically. It's like, she would be homeless… She came from Jacksonville. There's a large number of folks that came from Jacksonville because Mr. [Parker] apparently was Evangelizing. Basically, he was bringing people. Like, I invited some people, basically. We thinking it's a good thing, basically, it wasn't. So, we ended up meeting at her house… I told her about it, and she reached out to the other ladies when I told her, who all came out, and she was appalled, and she was just like, ‘I'm going to reach out to the ladies.’ So, I made a group chat and connected all the ladies together, and I told him, I was just like, ‘hey, if you all want to make a decision, move forward, I'm with it. This don't need to happen to nobody else…’” 

The victim continued, “They didn't really talk so much, but it kind of makes sense to me now because one of the ladies, [Redacted (Vic 2)], she said that he was touching on her, but she didn't leave the church. She stayed…” 

The victim indicated that Vic 2 cited Matthew 18 to justify staying. There have been cases where the verse has been misused to keep criminal acts such as sexual abuse hidden from legal authorities. The verse reads, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” 

The victim said she told Vic 2, “I understand that. I took that to him. When I had a problem with him, I told him that it was an issue. I didn't like the way he did. He tried to [make me] look like I was crazy. That it was a learning experience… You can't talk to nobody that's only hearing they self.” 

As the interview continued, Dillon told the victim, “Understand that sexual battery, rape doesn't have to occur by force and doesn't have to have a victim saying ‘no’ or trying to fight off an attacker. A lot of times it occurs through coercion, basically through manipulation, through threats of some sort of retaliation… There doesn't have to be physical violence… [it’s also] ‘I have this power and this authority over you. And if you don't do what it is I'm asking you to do, whether that's to go polish my shoes or to go clean out my pool or to lay down with me, bad things are going to happen.’ That's a very real thing. That's things that we've already encountered in this investigation with other folks… Even if she doesn't believe that she's a victim, we're not going to try and make her one, but we'd still love to hear her story.” 

The victim said that another woman had texts of Lorenzo Crawford talking in a “filthy” manner towards her, “Basically, what they was doing and how he was going to do it and everything.” "I think she said he made her delete everything, basically before she left church,” the victim said.

Dillon commented, “Our biggest fear and our biggest concern is that this has clearly been going on for years.”

“Ministry been going on for years,” the victim said. 

Dillon said, “That's just from the victims that we've already talked to… I don't know what may have happened before he’s had time to polish and to refine these skills and to get better at what it is he's doing: Being so horrible to all of you all and violating you all in your trust and your bodies in the way that he's done it, he's had years of practice… Anybody that's willing to come in and sit down and share their stories with us, even if they don’t ever want to be named, even if they don't want to move forward criminally with what occurred to them. Just like you being willing to come in and talk tonight has already helped the folks that we’ve already talked to because it's so much of the same things over and over and over again at different times and at different places with different people. But it's the exact same pattern… It's crazy. It's mind blowing.”

Lorenzo Crawford was charged with four counts of felony battery by repeat offender against the victim from this report, one of which he was later convicted of in the plea deal.

Bond Motion 

On August 25, 2023, Edwards made a motion to reduce Lorenzo Crawford’s bond. 

According to the motion, “[Lorenzo] was born and raised in Florida, and has lived in Florida his entire life. [Lorenzo] has strong ties to the community and is well-known by his community of peers. His wife, mom, aunts, and fellow pastors and counselors all reside here in Alachua County and surrounding areas… [Lorenzo] has been married to Raqual Crawford for the past eighteen years and maintains a healthy and loving relationship with his wife. [Lorenzo] has six biological children and two step-children. He maintains strong relationships with all his family, and often takes care of his five grandkids and parishioners. Prior to his arrest, [Lorenzo] worked full-time as a Pastor at Christian Coalition Family Church. Additionally, [Lorenzo] is a disabled veteran and receives social security disability. [Lorenzo] graduated from Newberry High School and received his High School Diploma. He has completed several college level courses at Santa Fe College towards becoming a radiology technician but ultimately received a special certificate from the Academy of Health Science as a Medical Technician. [Lorenzo] has no prior felony convictions, but has prior misdemeanor convictions - including convictions for Domestic Violence and Battery. [Lorenzo]'s last conviction for a crime of violence was 2003 wherein he pleaded to one count of Domestic Battery according to the information available… [Lorenzo] does not pose a flight risk. Mr. Crawford has reliable transportation, and has retained a private attorney who will keep him notified of any required court appearances. [Lorenzo] will abide by all special conditions the Court deems appropriate.”

Attached to the bond motion are several “character letters,” showing that many of Lorenzo Crawford’s followers and fellow church and community leaders did not falter in their loyalty towards him. These individuals include but are not limited to:

• James Sheppard, at the time principal of Newberry High School, longtime friend of Lorenzo Crawford
• Raqual Crawford, Wife of Lorenzo Crawford
• Thomas Fields, Reverend at Trinity Baptist Church, Cousin of Lorenzo Crawford
• D’Andre J. Clements, former UF student, UF Health employee, CCFC congregant 
• Pastor Ted Welcome of Old Town Church of God in Christ
• Patrick Green, Youth Minister at Archer Church of God and Christ, Cousin of Lorenzo Crawford
• Curtis Stacey, Bishop, Relative of Lorenzo Crawford
• Pastor George McCray of Light Of the World Church Ministries
• Frederick Parker, Leader of Jacksonville Group
• Edwin Lamar Crawford, Son of Lorenzo Crawford 
• Erenequea Eulante Johnson, Overseer

Sheppard, who also spoke in person at the hearing, wrote that Lorenzo Crawford “has partnered with schools and been a pastor to so many throughout the years.” Sheppard claimed that Lorenzo Crawford has been a “positive influence” in the Newberry Community and Alachua County. According to Sheppard, Lorenzo Crawford is “not a perfect man” but “still a good man” who deserves “redemption.” 

Raqual Crawford said she met Lorenzo at Santa Fe College after he completed a three-year term in the Army. She said they married in 2007 and started CCFC together. She claimed that God gave her husband a vision that included restoration of individuals in “dilapidated communities[--] to save people who found themselves in a hopeless state of mind, show them how to be in the world, but overcome the woes and pain of this world and believe that Jesus Christ can be their personal savior.” 

Raqual Crawford said that her husband “healed” the “trauma” of church members. She called her letter a “true testament” to her husband’s character. 

Raqual Crawford referenced trips CCFC has taken to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia.

Rev. Thomas Fields of Trinity Baptist Church said he has known Lorenzo Crawford his entire life as his cousin. Fields spoke positively of Lorenzo Crawford and said he hopes his cousin “has an opportunity to manage his life respectfully and this situation the right way for himself, before his community, his church, and his family.”

“To God be the glory, and may justice be done for all,” wrote Fields. 

D’Andre J. Clements told the court that Lorenzo Crawford “used his resources to procure” him a job at UF Health. 

Pastor Ted Welcome wrote, "My wife and I have known him since 1992 when we pastored his family in Archer, Florida. Lorenzo was a young man that had dreams and aspirations that impressed me he would bring those dreams to reality with the proper guidance. He impressed me so I looked at him as my god son and mentee. I left Archer and our paths went in different directions except for casual greetings in a store or restaurant until a couple years ago and as usual I was impressed again by the work he was doing for the Lord and the way he was mentoring the young people he was pastoring. Our interactions with him was always memorable and he was always respectable to my wife and I. The Lorenzo that we know we can't conceive committed the things he is charged with. Also we believe he is not a threat to the community and would appear for his court dates if released from custody."

Archer Church of God and Christ Youth Minister Patrick Green wrote that his cousin Lorenzo Crawford is “very passionate about helping anyone in need!” 

Bishop Curtis Stacey, a relative of Lorenzo Crawford, wrote that it “may seem hard for many to believe or understand” but that Lorenzo Crawford is a “good person and always had morality in his actions.”  

Pastor George McCray of Light of the World Church Ministries identified himself as an “Apostle” and identified Lorenzo Crawford as his “fellow Apostle.” McCray spoke very positively of him, calling Lorenzo Crawford a “gleaming jewel in the body of Christ.” 

Edwin Crawford called his father a role model who helped him through a suicidal period in his life. Edwin Crawford said his father’s life "revolves around being a help to others.”

Johnson, who also spoke in person at the hearing, wrote that she met Lorenzo Crawford when she was just 16 years old and put him on a spiritual pedestal. “I thank God for this man of God daily,” wrote Johnson. 

Judge David Kreider denied the bond motion, stating the total amount was reasonable given the number of charges.

2024 Lorenzo Crawford Reports

Report 1

During the first week of March 2024, Dillon made contact with another CCFC victim. She said she was a member for eight years after joining her sister at the congregation.

The first time the victim attended CCFC was before it established itself at the 6040 address. She described the initial location as a “house in the woods.” 

Dillon asked the victim what prompted her to move to Gainesville. She said that she and her children got “stuck” in Gainesville after returning from a trip to Ft. Lauderdale with the Church. The victim explained that the group returned in March 2020 when everything was getting shut down due to COVID-19. The victim said she was “placed” into a member’s home. 

The victim recalled the weekly services at CCFC: Monday: Mens’ Ministry. Tuesday: Women's Ministry. Wednesday: Bible Study. Thursday: Couples and Marriage. Friday: Youth Ministry. Saturdays: Fellowship. Sunday: Church Service all day.

“I literally used to go home at like, two, three o'clock in the morning every single day.” said the victim. “Even when I lived in Gainesville. Because I lived in the town, he would try to get people who lived out of town home sooner. So, we would be kind of like the last ones to leave. I was always the last one to leave.”

The victim said that Raqual Crawford’s secondary position in CCFC was titular and that Johnson was the second-in-command in practice. 

Dillon reported, “Next, I addressed [the victim]’s knowledge of any of the abuse suffered by other members of the church. She answered, ‘Prior to May of last year, I would not have guessed or known... That is just because I wasn't the closest person. You know? I just wasn't. I'm very thankful of that… I would say, the only type of incident that I ever had with [Lorenzo]... I think we were coming back from eating, I know we were coming back from somewhere because [Johnson] was driving him in the GMC and I was walking out of the fellowship hall. And he called me over to the GMC… He had pulled me into the truck, like, across his leg and he hit me! And he was like ‘I told you about having your daughter around Paul!’ He was like, ‘You know, he molested his brother and sister when they were young!’ So, he had always... just made me be extra cautious around him…’ As [the victim] described the spanking from Lorenzo, she mimed dragging someone across her lap and then slapped her own hand harshly two times in rapid succession, simulating discipline similar to that of an unruly child.” 

The victim described how Lorenzo Crawford would comment on people’s appearance like, “Oh, you look nice today,” “You look cute today,” or “Oh, OK.” The victim chuckled uncomfortably as she went on to say, “There was one particular instance, this is disgusting! But, he pushed me up against the wall in [Johnson]’s office and he was, like, kissing on my neck and, like, he grabbed my butt. I was like ‘No! I'm not about that!’ And he was like… ‘How does that feel?’ and I was like ‘I don't feel anything.’ He was like, ‘Oh, I guess I got the wrong idea...’ I was like ‘Yes sir, you did...’ He was like ‘I just wanted to show you that you still have control over yourself, like, you not one of these girls that's out here being a hoe. You are able to control yourself.’” 

The victim went on to recall a phone conversation Lorenzo Crawford made from jail in which he cautioned the remaining members, “You need to watch yourself. Watch your fellowship. You don't want them contaminating you, then all of a sudden, you got hell in you!”

Regarding Johnson, the victim said she “definitely knows what goes on.” 

“She definitely knows,” said the victim. “With the amount of time that those two spend together, there is no way that she does not know. She drives him everywhere! I can recall a time, I was at work… and my kids were home… My kids texted me and said, ‘Hey mom, Apostle here doing room checks’ or whatever. So, I know for sure that she brings him. He had keys to people's homes. There is no way that he would be able to get there without her driving.”

The victim recalled another phone call that Lorenzo Crawford made shortly before she left CCFC. He said, “Why would I need to rape a woman? They come to me! I don't drive. They come to me, they come pick me up.”

The victim said she initially found Lorenzo Crawford’s sermons to be inspirational and relatable but clarified, “Me not knowing the Bible the way he did, or the way that the upper echelon did, it was a way to manipulate… to control. Because, it's like you're using the Bible as a scare tactic. You're using the Bible to manipulate me… You're using the Bible to control my movement… I don't think I would be able to trust another preacher in the way that I trusted him... Now, I don't know what to think... It's a bad feeling."

The victim affirmed that CCFC is a cult. “That is the only word that fits.” 

“I feel like he shows no remorse for the things that he does,” said the victim about Lorenzo Crawford. 

Dillon charged Lorenzo Crawford with felony battery by repeat offender but prosecutors dropped the case. 

Report 2

On February 27, 2024, Detective Dillon contacted Deputy Dawson asking him to reach out to another victim from CCFC. 

Based on the police report, the victim and her husband, longtime CCFC members, finally saw what CCFC was really about. The victim’s husband advised that he “knew that Lorenzo Lee Crawford had sexual intercourse with his wife in the past” and that he “could not believe [he] would do this due to seeing him as a father figure, but fully believed [the victim].”

The victim and her husband also indicated a dispute between themselves and Johnson regarding the ownership of a vehicle. They advised the vehicle was in their names. The husband said that deputies previously made contact with them and Johnson about it but advised it was a civil issue.

The report states the victim and her husband “could not immediately leave because all the money they made was given over to the church.” The victim “explained that all the members of the church were giving their income to the church to assist with the growing cost [because] a lot of the members were now living on the property.”

The victim and her husband both worked full time. The victim had two jobs. However, they were still broke every other week due to this new “regulation."

Dawson later made contact with Johnson about the vehicle by phone. Dawson reported, “I explained that I was contacting her in reference to the vehicle. I explained to her what I had learned. Erennequea advised that she would be willing to turn the vehicle over to [the victim’s husband] but did not want him on the property. I told her I could meet with her and arrange the exchange. Erennequea advised that she felt I was ‘prejudiced’ and requested another deputy. I told her that it could be arranged.”

Dawson later made contact with the victim and her husband again for a more comprehensive interview. 

The victim said she and her husband were making plans to get an apartment in Gainesville, but that changed when Lorenzo Crawford was arrested. They were asked to come live on CCFC property with other members, and they stayed in one of the offices in the fellowship hall. 

“The church created a ‘formula’ to help people save money and gave them back some, if any, spending money,” reported Dawson. “[The victim] gave the example of the start of the 2023 school year. The members were told not to purchase their children any clothes or shoes because the church would cover that for them. When school came around, [the victim]’s son and nieces did get some clothes, but no new shoes. At the same time, Erennequea’s son had received four new pairs of shoes. Erennequea also had new clothes or shoes, and her hair and nails were being maintained regularly. There were times when [the victim] was unable to fill up her vehicle with fuel.”

After spending so much time at CCFC, the victim began suffering from stress and anxiety to the point of hospitalization. 

The victim advised that she wanted to leave CCFC but believed her husband would want to stay. 

The report states, “[The victim] described it as an ‘out of body’ experience when she was in the worship hall. Arifah asked [her] what was wrong and asked her to talk away from everyone. Erennequea told her if there was a problem, we would address it in the open. [The victim] told them she wanted to leave [and] stated that Erennequea already knew about what was going on between her and Lorenzo Lee Crawford.”

Johnson reportedly advised the victim that she was the only person who knew besides her and Lorenzo Crawford, stating the victim would’ve been subpoenaed if otherwise. 

The report continues, “Arifah asked [the victim] what the plan was for when she left, due to all of her money being tied up in the church funds. She suggested that she stay and stop giving the money to the church to save up for a month or two. [The victim] agreed to the idea but wanted to talk it over with [her husband].”

The victim’s husband told her he would leave with her. When the victim was explaining what Lorenzo Crawford was doing to her, Johnson began texting her husband. Johnson told the victim’s husband that the victim “had already lied to him” and questioned if she was lying about anything else, seemingly in an attempt to turn him against her. The husband admitted that he was hurt but wanted to stand by his wife.

According to the report, “[The victim] advised that Lorenzo Lee Crawford had been making her have sex with him since 2018 until April 2023. He told her that if she did not do so, she would die. The church taught that if a person was disobedient or rebellious, they would put their well-being in danger. When something bad happened to the members of the church, Lorenzo Lee Crawford would preach that it happened because they were rebellious. Members of the church would confirm it. Also, at the same time, Lorenzo Lee Crawford had sermons where he ‘protected’ a member by guiding them down a different path..."

The victim described how she had a miscarriage after she started attending CCFC, and Lorenzo Crawford told her “that it happened because they did not attend the church regularly.”

Dawson reported, “[The victim] informed me that Lorenzo Lee Crawford made everyone apologize to him. He said that there were ‘things going on’ at the prior location that everyone agreed not to bring to the new location (7501). Lorenzo Lee Crawford advised that they brought these issues to the new church, and he had to ‘do the things he did’ to expose the ‘hoe in church.’ While speaking with them, I asked the question, what is the one thing that stands out the most in their mind? [The victim] said, ‘I thought it was okay.’ She felt that if she had the courage to speak up when the sexual abuse started, it would not have happened to anyone else... [The victim] stated, ‘It was crazy’ and she was ‘sorry.’ [The victim] said that Lorenzo Lee Crawford was ‘preying’ on them. Lorenzo Lee Crawford would make the men around him feel low and the women distrust each other. [The victim] explained that she could not form a relationship with a lot of the other women of the church because of the things Lorenzo Lee Crawford said to her. She wondered what he told the other women about her.”

The victim’s husband explained that CCFC itself was a bad thing and could not find anything positive to say about it other than his wife and son. He said they would stay at the church until after 1:00 a.m. most nights before driving back to Jacksonville. The Jacksonville group carpooled together and were constantly sleep deprived.

The victim’s husband explained how everyone would have to go tell Lorenzo Crawford goodnight. At first, he and his wife were allowed to see him together, but that changed after CCFC moved to the 7501 location. The Jacksonville group was not permitted to leave the property until everyone said goodnight to Lorenzo Crawford and completed their chores (cleaning or cooking). 

The victim’s husband said congregants would line up to say goodnight at first but Lorenzo Crawford later changed his policy to texting members when he wanted them to appear. At first everyone was checking with each other to find out who they were after in line. When Lorenzo Crawford found out there was talk of the line order, he put a stop to it, telling congregants they had to pay attention or miss their spot and move to the back of the line. The victim indicated that Lorenzo Crawford would text “come after [this person]” and it was their responsibility to see who left his office to see if it was their turn.

The victim later added that she believed Lorenzo Crawford did this to prevent congregants from knowing who was in his office for too long. She said she went into the kids’ room, which is next to Lorenzo Crawford’s office. Lorenzo Crawford accused the victim of trying to listen in and banned adults from entering the kids’ room. 

The victim and her husband indicated that Lorenzo Crawford wanted them to get as little sleep as possible. The victim later added that Frederick Parker was the only member of the Jacksonville group who could text Lorenzo Crawford to initiate the process of saying goodnight, and they had to all be ready to leave when they started saying goodnight.

The victim and her husband generally drove the Jacksonville group back and forth. The victim was the only woman allowed to drive and males were barred from riding in her vehicle.

The victim said that when Lorenzo Crawford would text her to “come” it was to either have sex with him or perform a sexual favor. She explained that she would try to ignore the text but Lorenzo Crawford would send Johnson to find her. The victim expressed to Johnson that she did not like going to see Lorenzo Crawford. Seemingly mocking the victim, Johnson asked her if she wanted to “hold her hand” when going to see him. 

On March 14, 2025, the victim decided she wanted to pursue criminal charges and conducted another interview with Dawson the following day.

The victim said how she first joined CCFC with her now-husband when she was 18. They received some negative remarks due to being pregnant out of wedlock.

Lorenzo Crawford pushed for the victim and her husband to get married, which they did in Georgia. 

The victim talked more about how she and her husband lost their baby shortly after getting married. When they returned, congregants told the victim “it was because they disconnected from the church.”

At the time, the victim and her husband were having some issues in their relationship, and Lorenzo Crawford recommended that he administer marriage counseling. The report states the victim "felt that through the counseling with Lorenzo Lee Crawford, that she was able to express her heart and feelings to [her husband].” However, Lorenzo Crawford was seemingly using these sessions as part of his grooming process. 

According to the report, “The church would hold gatherings for most holidays and special events. During Christmas of 2018, [the victim] was wearing a black shirt and black pants with red flowers on them. Lorenzo Lee Crawford took a picture with her. He gave her a hug and whispered to her, ‘Oh, you wore that for me, huh?’ Lorenzo Lee Crawford [later texted the victim] and asked her what she thought about his comment. [The victim] was confused; she said that she wore it for herself, but she questioned herself at that point. (This type of grooming is corroborated by the disclosures of the other victims.) [The victim] also advised that Lorenzo Lee Crawford was wearing a green vest, jeans, and matching shoes. Lorenzo Lee Crawford would make comments publicly that he did not like [the victim] but secretly make comments to her like the one made on Christmas. [The victim] advised that the comments Lorenzo Lee Crawford made were small, but the comments made her think about the remarks.”

In June 2019, Lorenzo Crawford asked the victim to drive him to the store. The victim believed this was a sign that God was coming into her life, due to the “man of God” trusting her to take him somewhere. As they were driving, Lorenzo Crawford instructed the victim to turn into an alley, and once parked, he began sexually assaulting her. The victim was shocked and thought Lorenzo Crawford’s behavior was weird. She asked “What?” Lorenzo Crawford said that “sex with him will help her with intimacy issues with her husband and past sexual trauma when she was a kid. [The victim] believed what he told her, so they had vaginal sex…” the report states. Afterwards, they returned to CCFC and Lorenzo Crawford told the victim, "Don't get too attached to me” or “Don’t get feeling for me.”

The victim recalled another incident on a group trip to Ft. Lauderdale. Lorenzo Crawford “texted [the victim], asking her to come outside. He met with her to have sex with her again. [The victim] was confused because they were surrounded by other people from the church. For this reason, she was not able to have sex.” Lorenzo Crawford told her, “This is the reason I can’t take you on these trips, cuz you start acting funny.” As they were returning to their rooms, Lorenzo Crawford scolded another congregant for being in the hallway. 

After CCFC moved to its present location, Lorenzo Crawford continued sexually abusing the victim until she left. 

The report states, “After everyone left in 2023, Lorenzo Lee Crawford asked her thoughts on all those women leaving the church. She explained that she did not know that the other women were experiencing the same kind of abuse as she did. [The victim] believed what Lorenzo Lee Crawford told her that he was ‘doing this’ to get ‘the hoe out of church.’ She thought that what was happening to her was God showing her how good she really was. [The victim] thought that God had exposed the others in a certain way, but she was different from them.”

The victim recalled confronting Lorenzo Crawford, telling him that the sex was wrong and that they wouldn’t be doing it again.

“We’ll see,” responded Lorenzo Crawford. He kicked her out of the office and did not speak to her again that night. The victim believes he was arrested the following day. 

After Lorenzo Crawford’s arrest, congregants started talking with Edwards, his attorney. Johnson texted the victim to not "volunteer” any information about her and Lorenzo Crawford, but told her to tell the truth if Edwards asked a direct question. This is when the victim began thinking about everything that happened and that she did not want to deal with CCFC any longer. 

CCFC further blamed the victims after the arrest. The report states, “The message that was provided to the church after Lorenzo Lee Crawford’s arrest was that ‘he was getting the wrong end of the stick.’ He was being approached by all these other women to have sex with them, and it was the women who instigated it.” 

Johnson reportedly told the victim to "go to God and ask for forgiveness for her involvement" with Lorenzo Crawford. 

The victim explained how when people left CCFC, Johnson and Lorenzo Crawford would break relationships between them and remaining congregants. She talked about how Johnson stepped in between a close friendship after she left. 

Dawson reported, [The victim] informed me that she and her family had purchased the speakers used in the worship hall, the lawn mower for the property, the truck that Lorenzo Lee Crawford used, and a lot of other items. She believed that all those items were given by other members and in their names, so that nothing was tied to the church or Lorenzo Lee Crawford. [The victim] informed me that [her husband] and other members of the church had college degrees and were made to work ‘$17.00’ an hour jobs instead of what they should be making. She advised that it was all to create the dependency of its members to the church. [The victim] gave their money to the church and [was] spending over $1,100 a month on transportation back and forth. At one point, their vehicle was repossessed due to late payments. Lorenzo Lee Crawford assisted them but required them to pay his money back within three days. [The victim] informed me that she would be chastised for letting her vehicle fall under half a tank of fuel, but the church would not assist in paying for the fuel cost.”

The victim described Lorenzo Crawford as “nasty” and said that he would use personal information disclosed to him in confidence for his personal use.

The victim was in multiple vehicle crashes during this time, and recalled one where airbags deployed and she sustained a scar. Lorenzo Crawford told the victim the crash occurred because she was "disobedient,” stating the airbags deployed “because God wanted her to know how it felt to be in a casket.” Lorenzo Crawford would make similar statements to the victim when she refused to have sex with him or did something without his direction.

Dawson reported, “[The victim] told me the night she attempted to leave, near the start of February 2024. She tried to get her son from the kids’ room. Erennequea stepped in front of her and told her she could not get her child without going through her. [She] said that Erennequea was telling her that she would fight her before she could get her son. [The victim] was able to eventually get some of her belongings and her son into her vehicle. When [she] tried to leave, Derrick Bailey and Fredrick locked the two exit gates from the property at the direction of Erennequea. [The victim] sat at the gate, honking her horn on her vehicle for approximately 5 minutes. They would not open the gate. [She] was there until [her husband] came over to her vehicle to speak with her. He talked her into coming back inside their room on the property. Once she drove back onto the property, Erennequea had the gates unlocked again.” Dawson reviewed jail phone call recordings and reported that a conversation between Lorenzo Crawford and Johnson corroborates the victim’s statements on this incident. 

The victim said that her involvement with Lorenzo Crawford and CCFC has caused her to lose faith in religion and that she has become lost and unaware of herself.  

This is the only sex offense case for which Lorenzo Crawford sustained a conviction, however, prosecutors dropped the three counts of sexual battery that Dawson charged him with in favor of a count of engaging in sex with a client as a psychotherapist.  

Current State of Church

On March 27, 2026, Edwin Crawford made a post on Facebook indicating there aren't as many leaders remaining.

In all caps, Edwin Crawford wrote, "On this day, 4 years ago we were all anointed, appointed, and installed at the Christian Coalition Family Church INC. As a 5-fold ministry!!! At this time there are 3 left standing, others went another path... But that's not what this post is about. This is an appreciation post for the anointing of God!!! I'm not in the business of trying to bash those that He anointed, but I look at my stance and those who choose to stand with me... I thank you for your love, support, and tenacity, that even when the enemy hit us with his best shot... Here...We...Stand."

Multiple commenters criticized Edwin Crawford's statements:

"Edwin be for real. The 3 left standing are the biggest joke known to man. Yall 'standing' with a man yall know slept with, sexually assaulted, manipulated, etc. the [people] that was there. One even being the same one you brought there to be with. God ain’t anoint nor appoint that. This post is embarrassing to say the least."

"Stop idolizing yo daddy."

"There are two people on the picture that are still standing for righteousness and I'm not sure what you mean by this post but it seems misleading and deceiving. When someone leaves an abusive ungodly evil situation, they're the actual ones who stood. I'm sure my comment will get deleted, but I see your post and I don't know what you meant, but it seems very wrong."

"You post a group picture making the world think one thing and expect them not to comment… is hilarious… this definitely got to be for likes or shares… what’s sad is people who was not there trying to justify his actions. Family or not wrong is wrong and right is right…"

"Stop with the fake church b.s. Your DADDY is a cult leader, thief, and most of all a coward. We can have a face to face conversation about this if you like.."