Boston pastor arraigned in hospital bed, held on $225k bail

BOSTON — A Boston pastor facing child rape charges involving three different victims was arraigned over the phone in a hospital bed on Monday.

71-year-old Reverend George Swain, of the Greater Victory Temple in Mattapan, was originally set to appear in court in Dorchester.

Prosecutors said Swain did not physically appear in court because he’s being treated at Carney Hospital for congestive heart failure.

During Monday’s arraignment over the phone, bail was at $75,000 for each of the three dockets.

Prosecutors allege that the abuse involved boys between the ages of 8 and 16, and that two of those victims were sexually assaulted inside the church.

The charges stem from allegations that date back to the late 90′s and early 2000′s.

If Swain posts the total $225,000 bail, he will be subject to a list of rules. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Swain will be required to wear a GPS monitoring device, surrender his passport and won’t be allowed to have unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins released a statement recognizing the strength and bravery of the victims who came forward in this case:

“It can take decades for victims to make the decision to come forward about sexual abuse, as is what happened here.  The defendant used his position of trust and authority to ingratiate himself to his victims and their families in order to gain access to vulnerable targets for his sexual abuse.  Even more horrific, he used religion as an entryway into these children’s lives, potentially forever altering their faith,” the statement read. “We will continue to work in partnership to provide these brave survivors with the services and resources they deserve and may require as the case moves forward.”

Cox Media Group