Manager At Scott Lively’s Coffee Shop A Convicted Child Molester

Jim Burroway

January 13th, 2011

Scott Lively (left), Michael J. Frediani (right)

Anti-gay extremist Scott Lively, who travels the world to preach that the international gay cabal is recruiting young children into homosexuality through child molestation, hired a convicted child molester as manager of his Springfield, MA coffee house. The manager, Michael J. Frediani, 38, who lived in an apartment above the coffee house was arrested this morning by Springfield police for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender.

In New York, Frediani was convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree and aggravated sexual abuse in the second degree in 1996.

The charge relates to an arrest by police in Canandaigua, N.Y., in 1995 in which the victim was an 11-year-old girl. The description of the offense was “deviate sexual intercourse.”

He was sentenced to two to four years in state prison, serving at the Midstate Correctional Facility from September of 1996 to February of 1999, according to Carole Weaver, a spokeswoman for the state’s Division of Parole.

New York determined that Frediani was a level 3 sex offender under that state’s classification which indicates that Frediani is considered most likely to reoffend again. Lively says he didn’t know about Frediani’s past, and didn’t appear too concerned about it:

Frediani had told Lively that he had a “rough past before he became a Christian,” Lively said, adding that he did not know any specifics and that he saw no need for a criminal background check.

“That’s the beauty of the salvation of Christ,” Lively said. “When you come to Jesus Christ, and you accept his forgiveness for your sins, then you are forgiven by Him and enter a new life. It doesn’t surprise me that he had a rough past, that he has a criminal record.”

Right. He warns everyone that they should keep gay people away from their children, but just anybody can hang out with the local teens at Lively’s coffee shop. Yeah. Good thinking.

Lively’s coffee shop drew criticism last week from local officials when his new storefront ministry became a hangout for truent teens while skipping school.

Oh, and that bit about Lively turning over a new leaf and no longer being interested in anti-gay activism? I was skeptical. “‘Let’s see where we are, say, a year from now,” I wrote. Well…

Lively said he continues to serve as a conference speaker around the world on the topic of homosexuality, but “it has nothing to do with the ministry in Springfield.”

That wasn’t even a full week.

Jim

January 13th, 2011

I sent the following email to Scott.  His email address is sdllaw@gmail.com.

Hi Scott,

Just read that you have been harboring a child molester at your christian coffee house. Also read that you’ve been cited for encouraging children to skip school.

Got to say that I’m not surprised. Although you christians like to claim that gays are pedophiles, peer reviewed social science since the 1980s has shown that gay men are responsible for only 3-5 percent of child molestation. The rest is committed overwhelming by men who are only attracted to children (gender seems to be irrelevant to these) and straight men (again gender seems to be irrelevant). If you find it difficult to believe that straight men rape boys, just consider prison populations: men rape men all the time as an expression of dominance. I imagine a similar thing is going on when straight men rape children.

And from all indications, it seems that christian straight men are more inclined to child molestation more than others. Which brings me to my question: are you a child molester? You’re straight. You’re christian. You harbor child molesters. You encourage children to stay in your coffee house and to skip school by giving them gifts (christian pins, I believe). All of this seems rather suspect, wouldn’t you agree?

My other question is this: is your anti-gay rhetoric and actions a smoke screen so that the general public will not suspect you of being a molester? By blaming gay men for this hideous behavior are you trying divert attention from you, a straight, christian man?

Gotta say, it seems awfully suspicious.

Kisses and Hugs

Lindoro Almaviva

January 13th, 2011

Well, thank GOG that he was a HETEROSEXUAL child molester. Could you imagine if the guy was a gay man that only dated other gay adults? Well, that would be immoral and against the word of Christ.

A convicted (heterosexual) child molester, well, who is paying attention to THAT?

L. Junius Brutus

January 13th, 2011

Truly shocking. One would never expect that guy to be a child molester, he looks so respectable.

Ben in Oakland

January 13th, 2011

You can see his logic. Child molesting is just a sin like homosexuality, which uias just a sin like every other sin, except when it isn’t. All you have to do is just say no to sin.

He clearly doesn’t know much about child molesters. And so many of them have found Christ. Witness the Catholic church. And that’s why JoeMyGod has a “This Week in Holy Crimes” section of his blog.

I’ve heard that pedophiles hang out in rings. Ya think maybe…

Naaah. that would be so 2009.

And that was my first thought. That guy looks creepy, and this is coming from a man who came of age in the ’60’s.

Richard Rush

January 13th, 2011

“That’s the beauty of the salvation of Christ,” Lively said. “When you come to Jesus Christ, and you accept his forgiveness for your sins, then you are forgiven by Him and enter a new life. It doesn’t surprise me that he had a rough past, that he has a criminal record.”

Translation: “I’ll forgive almost anything if you accept my religious beliefs. When you believe, it helps reinforce my own beliefs, and it relieves my anxiety stemming from the nagging doubts that I try to keep deeply hidden because I’m terrified that God might notice (if he exists). And when you believe, it means I can trust you.”

Soren456

January 13th, 2011

I’m willing to believe that Lively didn’t know the guy’s record, and leave it at that. What he does next is what’s important.

I do think, however, that Lively is indicted by the truancy issue, which is totally irresponsible. Good judgment is not his forte, apparently.

Tone

January 13th, 2011

The bit that shocked me most of all was that in New York State he is classed as a “level 3” sex offender, meaning that the state believes it is likely he will re-offend.

Why is he on the street and not behind bars? Would we leave an unexploded bomb on a street corner? Why do we collectively not have the fortitude to give these people indeterminate sentences, or declare them dangerous offenders so that as a society we can protect our children from them?

Rob San Diego

January 13th, 2011

I think Jim said it best in his letter to Scott.

I mean Scott, aren’t you a bit old to be hanging out with teenagers who might be sexually confused? Coffee shops are a slippery slope for teenagers with identity crisis on their minds.

Unless Uncle Scott is there to comfort them.

BlackDog

January 14th, 2011

There really aren’t any words to describe just how disgusted I am by this.

You have to pass a background check to cook, do dishes and mop floors where I work, there are much more extensive checks for table games dealers, management, security, etc. Sweet Jesus, those “Christians” will hire people who’d never be allowed to work at the casino where I work. Hell, if I had a business (and I have had one before) let alone a ministry of some sort I would never hire a convicted child molester, period. Not just for the potential bad press or inability to look at myself in the mirror but because that’s a risk to KIDS for God’s sake!

It never ceases to amaze me how little consideration supposedly “family friendly” Authoritarian/Fundamentalist Christianity shows for actual children or women.

Paul in Canada

January 14th, 2011

I keep reading and re-reading this story. Never in my wildest imaginings did I expect this outcome from such a slimey character like Herr Lively. I hope the blogs will continue to follow this story because it truely is about what is done next that will be most telling (Lively and the police).

Good, great, gawd!

If ever these was something to rally around and demand this ‘establishment’ is closed down, it’s this damn ‘coffee house’.

p.s. – coffee houses were popular amongst the christianists in the 60’s and 70’s – what decade does this wingnut live in?

justsearching

January 14th, 2011

I find the most remarkable part of the story to be this sentence: “Lively said he will consult with his ministry board regarding any change in use of Frediani as the coffee house manager.” In other words, there needs to be deliberation about whether or not this Level 3 sex offender should continue to work at this hang out place for kids.

The correct answer is: “I didn’t know about his past, and now I will be looking for a new manager for this establishment.” Lively creeps me out.

Regan DuCasse

January 14th, 2011

Several good and accurate points here. Mainly that ministers, or people who like to think that claiming to be redeemed or taking on Christian or whatever faith, automatically makes a person trustworthy and worthy of forgetting their past transgressions and crimes.

I find that the general public is extremely ignorant (and sometimes willfully so) about sex criminals. About the incarcerated and about who gets clipped for what the public considers minor charges (mainly that have to do with drug use.)
Now when it comes to ministries and Christian outreach. They can be exceptionally naive as much as arrogant to think that a SOCIOPATH isn’t manipulating them to get what the sociopath wants, not what the minister and their adherents expect.

I can tell you that law enforcers, probation officers and sex crime specialists get VERY frustrated and stonewalled by people like Lively.
Cardinal Mahoney was actively obfuscating our detectives here when it comes to finding sex offenders among priests. He’s but one of many people who represent churches more interested in covering their asses and their financial assets, than protecting anyone else.

And just as I witness anti gay straight people, or just ignorant people continually argue that gay people choose to be gay, I can’t believe I have civilians arguing with me about criminals after I give them MY credentials.

But religious do gooders do more harm this way. And criminals know what buttons to push to get access or to hide.
When, when, WHEN are people with a public forum gonna wise UP?

Homophobia gives a lot of people shelter from their offenses by keeping the public ignorant and focused from the REAL sex offenders.
And there are some ministers who really shouldn’t get so full of themselves they lose sight of the bigger picture.

Blake Alverson

January 14th, 2011

I think both Lively and Cardinal Mahoney just both sincerely believe that because someone says Christ is now the center in their life that they won’t commit the horrible sins they committed in the past. It’s not so much they’re trying to cover their asses, it’s that they truly believe the people to be reformed because to believe otherwise would undermine their faith. I think naiveté and a desire to protect the faith/institution from bad press is more driving than any desire to protect money/assets. A typical justification probably sounds like: “If Priest John Doe or Christian Coffee Shop Manager James Doe is really abusing children then we need to not accuse him of it publicly because to do so would undermine the faith of the hundreds of others he brought into Christ’s arms.” Not to mention the lack of redemption after converting their life to Christ.
Such cover-ups only inevitably lead to more horrible abuses by trusted people and then more hiding because the person committing the abuses is held up as an example of faith to others.
While I am uncomfortable with “guilty then, guilty forever” convections that many child molesters receive (for example a 17 year old in GA was sentenced to 10 years and forever has to register as a sex offender because he received a BJ from a 15 year old girl) I am very suspect of this individual, if he really wanted to join a Christian Ministry, considering his struggles in the past, wouldn’t he want to join one where there weren’t underage kids running around all the time.

L. Junius Brutus

January 14th, 2011

A 17-year old boy sleeping with his 15-year old girlfriend is not child molestation. Any punishment for such a person is wrong, not just 10 years. The people who are actually child molesters, like this rapist of a 11-year old girl, should be stigmatized forever, in fact, they should never be released.

Regan DuCasse

January 15th, 2011

Hi Blake, to your point regarding that their faith is about not undermining their
religious belief and how they understand it and express it to others.

Nothing can undermine faith and TRUST quicker than being so arrogant in that belief that a record of criminal abuse of another human being, trumps common sense protections for others.
And there is so little CONSISTENCY.

There are whole political campaigns around how gay people threaten everything dear to compassionate people, while at the same time, making no distinctions between gay people and those who actually DO and HAVE harmed someone outright.

There are no whole political campaigns for any other categories. Not even criminal categories to keep offenders from having full rights and freedoms over someone who is gay.
There is a pay it forward manipulation going on and it’s not only appalling, but serves criminals more than it does the public good.
I don’t care what religion a person is.

Regan DuCasse

January 15th, 2011

And JB I agree with you. Consent based, although statutory rape between those who are close in age, do NOT compare to someone violently attacking a child.

No one like that should EVER be released. Then issues like this would never happen. As we speak there are child rapists who were recently released here in CA because of budget cuts, who aren’t not subject to probation.
Mostly they go and live with their parents, or girlfriend. And are under no particular scrutiny from the law.

Sometimes they live near where children are present. Or living in the home with them.
Reoffending is a guarantee. And the people they live with are useless when it comes to monitoring.

Indeed, the murder of Chelsea King in SD occurred because a paroled rapist lived with his parents, near this teenager and where she regularly jogged.
As part of a plea deal, he told authorities where he’d buried another younger girl a year before who’d gone missing.

His first offense was exceptionally violent on a 14 year old. Why he was released after serving only seven years after that, to kill the subsequent two, and why his parents didn’t police him isn’t a mystery.

Cowards and weak lawmakers are running things.

Priya Lynn

January 15th, 2011

Blake said “for example a 17 year old in GA was sentenced to 10 years and forever has to register as a sex offender because he received a BJ from a 15 year old girl”.

There’s your wonderful justice system Junius – keep it.

L. Junius Brutus

January 15th, 2011

Priya: “There’s your wonderful justice system Junius – keep it.”

A shame that you need to stoop to misrepresentation – a sign that even you know that just about everything you write is nonsense. Of course, I was only talking about the death penalty – and the death penalty system works when it’s found that the accused person is innocent before he is executed.

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