Anthony Flag and Eddie Long

Last Updated On:  9/30/2010 7:00:31 PM

DEKALB COUNTY, GA -- Much of the legal case against Bishop Eddie Long is rooted in activity that allegedly occurred in a modest South DeKalb neighborhood -- two doors down from where Leon Wright lives.

"Sometimes they were here for hours," Wright said of Bishop Long and his neighbor of two years, Anthony Flagg.

Flagg is one of four young men who have sued the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The suit alleges that Bishop Long enticed Flagg into sexual activity in an unassuming tract home on a South DeKalb cul-de-sac.

The frequency of Bishop Long's visits were "like a mail lady come to drop mail off," Wright laughed. "It was every day, man."

Wright says Bishop Long and Flagg were typically alone in the house when they were together. The suit says Andrew Momon owned the home. Momon is an official at New Birth. The house is now in foreclosure.

The suit says the pastor put the then-18 year old Flagg in the home with his mother's permission, to ostensibly stabilize his life, with Bishop Long as his mentor and spiritual leader. But the suit alleges the Bishop victimized Flagg sexually.

Leon Wright says he saw no evidence of abuse when Flagg and Bishop Long spent time together. But Wright says he knew Flagg, saw them together frequently and believes the allegations against Bishop Long.

"I feel bad for what he's going through," said Wright. "But I believe it. I think it's true."

Eddie Long

Third lawsuit filed against pastor of megachurch

By GREG BLUESTEIN (AP) – 4 hours ago

ATLANTA — Attorneys representing two men who say a prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch near Atlanta coerced them into a sexual relationship have filed a third lawsuit on behalf of another young male member of his church.

Attorney B.J. Bernstein said Wednesday the allegations in the lawsuit are similar to the previous civil complaints filed late Tuesday.

The complaints were filed in DeKalb County State Court against Bishop Eddie Long. The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they were victims of sexual impropriety.

The men who filed the lawsuit were 17- and 18-year-old members of the church when they say Long abused his spiritual authority to seduce them with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ATLANTA (AP) — The prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch near Atlanta denies allegations in a lawsuit that he coerced two young men from the congregation into a sexual relationship, his attorney said.

Lawyers for the men, now 20 and 21, say they filed the lawsuit Tuesday in DeKalb County Court against Bishop Eddie Long. The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they were victims of sexual impropriety.

President George W. Bush and three former presidents visited the sprawling New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Lithonia for the 2006 funeral of Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Long introduced the speakers and the Rev. Bernice King, the Kings' younger daughter, delivered the eulogy. She is also a pastor there.

The men who filed the suit were 17- and 18-year-old members of the church when they say Long abused his spiritual authority to seduce them with cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities.

Craig Gillen, Long's attorney, says the pastor "categorically denies the allegations."

"We find it unfortunate that these two young men would take this course of action," Gillen said late Tuesday after news of the lawsuit broke. He said Long had not yet been served with copies of the lawsuits.

Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King to her father's Atlanta grave to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman."

He also has released several gospel albums, authored books on relationships and spirituality, and hosts a weekly television program.

B.J. Bernstein, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said she opened her investigation after getting a call from one of the boys. She said her law office is now broadening the investigation.

"We are taking calls and we do believe, based on what the boys' statements are, that there are other victims," she said.

Although the relationships started when the plaintiffs were past the legal age of consent in Georgia — which is 16 — she said Long abused his "spiritual authority" to coerce her clients into engaging in sexual acts.

Bernstein also said that Bishop made an excessive number of phone calls and e-mails to her clients. She said most of the notes were not crude, but several of them asked the clients to send him pictures. She said she will subpoena Long for his records.

"It's an irrational number of contacts," she said.

When asked about a possible motive for the accusations, Gillen referred to a break-in at Long's office in June. Bernstein said one of the plaintiffs is facing a criminal burglary charge in the incident, but she said the break-in was a way of lashing out at Long.

Bernstein said she contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office earlier this month when she became aware of the young men's allegations. She did not know what action, if any, the agency planned to take. She said she did not contact DeKalb County authorities because Long and his church have strong ties to county officials.

Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta, would not comment on whether federal prosecutors are investigating Long.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said Wednesday his office wasn't investigating. And Orzy Theus of the DeKalb County District Attorney's office said Wednesday that county prosecutors do not plan to be involved.

"That's a civil matter. They were over the age of consent, that's not a criminal matter," said Theus.

Long was appointed pastor of New Birth in 1987. Then, the church had about 150 members. Less than four years later, the church had grown to more than 8,000 members. Athletes and entertainers claim membership at the church.

Long's church was among those named in 2007 in a Senate committee's investigation into a half-dozen Christian ministries over their financing.

Today, New Birth sits on 250 acres and has more than 25,000 members, a $50 million, 10,000-seat cathedral and more than 40 ministries — including the Longfellows Youth Academy, a tuition-based program for young men 13 to 18.

The New Birth campus was quiet Wednesday morning, with no unusual activity. Administrative staff referred media inquiries to Long's spokesman and people at the church declined to comment on the situation.

Associated Press Writer Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Two DeKalb County men filed lawsuits Tuesday alleging Bishop Eddie Long coerced them to having sex with him in exchange for lavish trips, cars and cash from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

The men’s attorney called Long a “sexual predator” and said she is now talking to other potential victims.

“It’s not just these two. There are young men around him at all times,” the men’s attorney B.J. Bernstein said. “There are kids at risk now.”

The men, Anthony Flagg, 21, and Maurice Robinson, 20, began having inappropriate relations with Long at the age of 16, which is the legal age of consent in Georgia, Bernstein said. Bernstein said she has not contacted DeKalb law enforcement because of Long’s ties to so many DeKalb officials.

Both men filed lawsuits Tuesday against Long and the church, alleging the bishop breached his pastoral duty.

Atlanta attorney Craig Gillen, who represents Long, said his client "adamantly denies the allegations in these two lawsuits and it is unfortunate that these two young men have chosen to take this course of action."

While Long likely cannot be charged with a crime in Georgia because the men consented, he could faces charges in other states, Bernstein said. The sex acts occurred while the men were between the ages of 16 and 20, the suit alleges.

The attorney said she has asked the FBI to investigate allegations that Long had sex with the men in hotels in New York, Dallas, Tennessee, New Zealand and other areas.

Long took Flagg to New Zealand for his 18th birthday, Bernstein said.

In separate trips, Bernstein said, the men flew on Long’s personal jet and shared a bed with him at the hotels. Long used the alias “Dick Tracy” when he checked into the hotel, the suit alleges.

However, the bulk of the relations occurred on the mega church’s property, including inside Long’s “guest house” on Snapfinger Road in south DeKalb, Bernstein said.

Flagg and Robinson’s parents both moved to DeKalb specifically to attend Newbirth. The two men met while enrolled in the church’s Longfellow Academy, which is for teenage boys age 14-17.

While at the academy, Flagg and Robinson developed relationships with Long, Bernstein said. They began spending more time with him and were placed on the church’s payroll, the suit alleges.

By the time they turned 16, Long began taking them on separate trips and inviting them to his home, Bernstein said. At one point, Flagg and Long held a private “marriage-like” ceremony where they exchanged vows, Bernstein said.

In exchange for Flagg’s love, Long bought the teenager a Ford Mustang, the suit alleges.

Robinson received other gifts, including introductions to T.I. Chris Tucker, Tyler Perry and other celebrities who met with Long, Bernstein said. The bishop also let Robinson drive his Bentley.

Bernstein said she has emails, text messages and photographs between the men and Long.

“The bishop used biblical verses to coerce them. He out front being homophobic and making all these remarks when at the same time, he is leading a double life,” Bernstein said. “They [the plaintiffs] aren’t gay. They just wanted to be loved and cared for by a powerful man.”

In June, Robinson was charged with breaking into Long’s home, stealing jewelry, an iPad and other items.

Robinson committed the burglary in retaliation after learning that Long was involved with other men, including Flagg, Bernstein said.

“He lashed out,” Bernstein said. “But if it weren’t for that act, we wouldn’t know about this. He talked to his friends and learned Long had other ‘spiritual sons.’”

Bernstein said the church is named in the suit because several other members were aware of the allegations and “protected” Long.

In June, DeKalb County police arrested two men, Anthony Boyd, 19, of Decatur, and Maurice Robinson, 20, and charged them with burglary, according to the police report obtained by the AJC.

A security camera at the church on Woodrow Road in Lithonia caught most of it on videotape.

Two men wearing dark hooded shirts, dark pants and white gloves were recorded using a key to enter the church during the night between June 13 and 14.

The men’s attorney B.J. Bernstein, said Robinson committed the burglary in retaliation after learning that Long was involved with other men, including Flagg, Bernstein said.

“He lashed out,” Bernstein said. “But if it weren’t for that act, we wouldn’t know about this. He talked to his friends and learned Long had other ‘spiritual sons.’”

Long was named 21 years ago as pastor of the  then 300-member church that would become New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

It has expanded beyond its Lithonia home and has satellite churches in other cities. The 240-acre Lithonia campus is like a small town; the church claims 25,000 members and promotes a myriad of ministries, such as the annual Hosea Feed the Hungry and help for the homeless and addicted.

Craig Schneider and Megan Matteucci contributed to this article.

*CNN is reporting that two Georgia men have filed a lawsuit claiming that Atlanta megachurch pastor Eddie Long coerced them into sex.

The suits, filed Tuesday in DeKalb County, Georgia, allege that Long used his position as a spiritual authority and bishop to coerce young male members and employees of his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church into sex.

Long took one plaintiff, Anthony Flagg, 21, to overnight trips to a half dozen American cities, Flagg’s suit alleges.

“Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact,” the suit says.

Long spokesman Art Franklin said Tuesday that “we categorically deny the allegations.”

“It is very unfortunate that someone has taken this course of action,” he said. “Our law firm will be able to respond once attorneys have had an opportunity to review the lawsuit.”

The suits are seeking unspecified amounts of punitive damages from Long on various counts, ranging from negligence to breach of fiduciary duty.