Africa-Press – Uganda. A former pastor from Georgia, United States, who was carrying out missionary work in Uganda, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl before a federal court.
Eric Tuininga, 44 of Milledgeville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places before Chief US District judge Marc T. Treadwell yesterday.
“Eric Tuininga used his trusted position as a pastor to sexually assault a young Ugandan girl in his care. This was a challenging case, but law enforcement worked diligently to ensure that Tuininga did not escape justice for his crime overseas,” US Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a statement.
“US Attorney’s Office, along with our national and international law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to catch child predators and hold them accountable for their crimes,” he added.
Tuininga was taken into custody, pending his sentencing on May 3.
According to US laws, Tuininga faces up to the maximum of 30 years in prison to be followed by a term of supervised release up to life and a maximum $250,000 (about Shs873m) fine.
The rules also demand that Tuininga registers as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison.
Special agent in charge of Katrin W Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) in Georgia and Alabama, said Tuininga was supposed to be someone who could be trusted, but instead abused that trust and victimised a child.
“HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to utilise every resource available to identify, arrest and prosecute those who prey upon children,” he added.
Background
According to a press statement issued by the United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Georgia, they came to know of the crime when a citizen affiliated with the US-based Orthodox Presbyterian Church operating in Mbale District, contacted US Embassy in Kampala.
The complainant said that in June 2019, Tuininga, who was working as one of the group’s ministers, was having sex with Ugandan female minors as young as 14-years old who were under the care of the organisation.
This saw US Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security agents in Kampala, Uganda, open an investigation into the allegations.
Finding Tuininga had already returned to his home in the middle district of Georgia, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Child Exploitation Unit, Atlanta, continued the investigation.Federal agents identified the victim.
Tuininga admitted to have come to know the victim in his capacity as a religious leader, adding that the victim would often visit the church.
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