Jamaica-born televangelist Paul Lewis sentenced to 14 years in prison

Western Bureau:

In 2009, popular televangelist Paul Lewis walked free from the Savanna-la-Mar courthouse in Westmoreland after being found not guilty of carnal abuse. Today, he is languishing in prison in the United States (US), convicted of a similar offence.

The 63-year-old Lewis, a Jamaican who came to fame when his television ministry exploded in the US in the early 2000s, making him a household name, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Monday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Naiburg.

Lewis, who resided at an East New York, Brooklyn address, was previously found guilty in a Brooklyn Court on September 24, 2026, following a jury trial, where he was convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing a child, whose family were members of his Brooklyn church.

“Rape results in trauma that lasts a lifetime, and we will never stop seeking justice for those who have been sexually violated,” said District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, in referencing the sentencing.

“With today’s sentence, the defendant has been held accountable for this deplorable crime, affording the victim a measure of closure for the horror inflicted upon her as a child.”

According to the evidence that was presented against Lewis, who was the pastor of Messengers for Christ World Healing Centre in Brooklyn, between September 3, 2014 and December 23, 2014 he regularly picked up the 11-year-old child at her home, under the guise of getting food, and brought her to a location where he sexually assaulted her in his vehicle.

After one incident on February 26, 2024, the child reportedly walked into a police station and lodged a complaint against Lewis. Following an investigation, he was arrested and charged.

At the completion of his sentence, Lewis is also mandated to serve 10 years of post-release supervision.

In the case against him in Jamaica, for which he was found not guilty in June 2011, he was charged with one count of carnal abuse and two counts of indecent assault, reportedly committed against two teenage girls in Westmoreland in 2009.

In that case, for which he was freed, it was alleged that Lewis, who was a guest preacher at a tent in Little London, met a 15-year-old girl at one of his services and struck up a friendship with her, during which he reportedly exchanged telephone numbers with the child.

In a subsequent meeting with the girl, he reportedly invited her to accompany him on a trip to Clarendon. She reportedly accepted the offer but took her 14-year-old female friend along with her.

On their return to Westmoreland, Lewis reportedly took the girls to a hotel in Negril, where it was said that he spent the night with them. Lewis was accused of being involved in a sexual encounter with the girls that night.

A police report was filed and Lewis was arrested and charged with carnal abuse of the 15-year-old girl and indecent assault involving the 14-year-old.

editorial@gleanerjm.com