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HAMMOND | It appears Jack Schaap has given up on attempts to overturn a 12-year federal prison sentence he was given for sexually abusing a 16-year-old member of the First Baptist Church of Hammond when he was serving as pastor.
His Florida-based attorney, Charles Murray, filed a motion in federal court Wednesday seeking to withdraw his services, citing Schaap's failure to pursue an appeal in time and Schaap's decision to remove the attorney from his approved email contact list.
"I will not be asking my dad to further expend his resources to chase hope," Schaap wrote in a Sept. 9 email to Murray, according to court records.
"It hurts all of us too much to have hope taken from us, and only huge bills to pay off afterwards," Schaap wrote. "The complexity of our justice system is beyond my confidence to believe there is a realistic remedy."
Murray wrote in his motion, "This motion is not made for purposes of delay but that justice may be served."
U.S. District Court Judge Rudy Lozano in August denied a petition by Schaap to overturn his sentence, dismissing Schaap’s claims that his attorney ineffectively advised him during plea agreement and sentencing proceedings.
Schaap presided over a faith-based empire of thousands of worshipers belonging to Hammond’s downtown “mega-church†and as president of Hyles-Anderson College. His inappropriate relationship with the teen was reportedly discovered when a church deacon caught a glimpse of a cellphone picture of Schaap and the girl kissing.
Schaap is serving his sentence at a federal penitentiary in Ashland, Ky.
His Florida-based attorney, Charles Murray, filed a motion in federal court Wednesday seeking to withdraw his services, citing Schaap's failure to pursue an appeal in time and Schaap's decision to remove the attorney from his approved email contact list.
"I will not be asking my dad to further expend his resources to chase hope," Schaap wrote in a Sept. 9 email to Murray, according to court records.
"It hurts all of us too much to have hope taken from us, and only huge bills to pay off afterwards," Schaap wrote. "The complexity of our justice system is beyond my confidence to believe there is a realistic remedy."
Murray wrote in his motion, "This motion is not made for purposes of delay but that justice may be served."
U.S. District Court Judge Rudy Lozano in August denied a petition by Schaap to overturn his sentence, dismissing Schaap’s claims that his attorney ineffectively advised him during plea agreement and sentencing proceedings.
Schaap presided over a faith-based empire of thousands of worshipers belonging to Hammond’s downtown “mega-church†and as president of Hyles-Anderson College. His inappropriate relationship with the teen was reportedly discovered when a church deacon caught a glimpse of a cellphone picture of Schaap and the girl kissing.
Schaap is serving his sentence at a federal penitentiary in Ashland, Ky.
