Overview

• Two Romanian men, Marian Barbu and Mihai-Constantin Petcu, filed federal suits in California alleging former pastor Paul Havsgaard abused and trafficked children for years at homes he ran in Bucharest.
• The complaints name Harvest Christian Fellowship, senior pastor Greg Laurie, and former missions pastor Richard Schutte, alleging negligence and failure to report under law.
• Filings detail alleged assaults and exploitation, including forced kneeling on walnut shells, tying children to beds or radiators, voyeurism and masturbation, and sending older boys into sex work.
• Plaintiffs assert Harvest continued support despite red flags, citing a reported 2004 internal audit and claiming $17,000 monthly deposits to Havsgaard’s personal account.
• Harvest calls the lawsuits a form of financial extortion, acknowledges funding but denies oversight responsibility, and says it alerted law enforcement; the church has 21 days to respond as plaintiffs’ counsel expects at least 20 more suits.