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39-year-old Ruven Meulenberg, a former Saddleback Church youth pastor, has been accused of molesting four teenage boys whom he met through the church.
KTLA reported that Meulenberg guided junior-high-aged children at Saddleback Church, which is a well-known evangelical Christian megachurch in Lake Forest. He and his twin brother were also featured on a YouTube channel dedicated to gaming and music production.
A press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office stated that the allegations against Ruven Meulenberg date back to the year 2016, and he is facing multiple charges in those separate cases. The charges include several felony counts of a lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 years old, who is at least 10 years younger than the defendant.
Ruven Meulenberg was convicted in 2018, but it was overturned due to juror misconduct
The press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office stated that in 2018, Ruven Meulenberg was convicted of molesting twin brothers, identified in the case as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2, who were between the ages of 13 and 14 between May 2016 and May 2017, during their visits to a local movie theater and while spending time together in his vehicle.
Both brothers attended his youth ministry at Saddleback Church.
According to the press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, in that case, Ruven Meulenberg was charged with one felony count of a lewd act on a child under the age of 14 and two felony counts of a lewd act on a child 14–15 years old and at least 10 years younger than the defendant.
However, the 2018 conviction was overturned after an appellate court ruled a juror had been involved in juror misconduct by sharing information with other jurors regarding psychiatric testing of subjects in criminal trials. A retrial on those charges is pending.
While Ruven Meulenberg awaits the retrial, another victim, only identified as John Doe 3, reported to authorities that he met the former youth pastor through Saddleback Church and was invited to the movies and dinner by him between August 2016 and September 2017. The victim was 13 years old at that time.
The third victim claimed that on one or more occasions, Ruven allegedly touched him inappropriately while hanging out with him in private. Following the allegations of the third victim, Ruven has been charged with four felony counts of a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.
As per the press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, following the added charges, a fourth victim, officially identified as John Doe 4, came forward and reported to have been touched inappropriately by Ruven Meulenberg between June 2017 and June 2018, when the former youth pastor drove him back home from a church event.
He was 14 years old at the time of the alleged misconduct. After John Doe 4's allegations, prosecutors added another criminal charge of one felony count of a lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 years old who is at least 10 years younger than the defendant.
If convicted, Ruven Meulenberg can be imprisoned for life
The press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office stated that Senior Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting the cases. Addressing the cases, District Attorney Todd Spitzer noted:
“Strong mentors are meant to help our children navigate the difficulties of growing up and realize their full potential. Instead of providing the spiritual guidance he pretended to provide, this youth pastor seized on the vulnerabilities of these children for his own sick sexual gratification. He has not only forever shaken their belief in anyone in a position of trust and authority; he has irreparably damaged their faith and the faith of countless other parishioners who believed their children were safe with him and youth pastors everywhere.”
According to the press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors have also claimed in the complaint that the former youth pastor had engaged in similar acts with several victims, and if convicted, it makes him eligible for a life sentence. He faces a maximum sentence of more than 100 years to life in prison.
Currently, Ruven Meulenberg remains out of custody on GPS monitoring while awaiting trial on the criminal cases.
