Minister accused of fraud allow to remain free despite comment about federal judge
Defendant says comment about 'the wrath of God almighty' was misinterpreted
Bishop Herman Jackson, of Ark of Safety Apostolic Faith Temple in Cicero, talks with reporters outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after Wednesday's court hearing. (John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune / July 24, 2013)
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An indicted Cicero preacher, ordered back to federal court because of a possible veiled threat against the judge overseeing his fraud case, was allowed to remain free on bail Wednesday after a hearing that started out weird and kept getting stranger.
Bishop Herman Jackson, of Ark of Safety Apostolic Faith Temple, wasn't in court when his hearing started on time at 3 p.m.
"You've got one person missing," U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman told Jackson's attorney.
The lawyer, Matthew McQuaid, told Johnson Coleman that his client's cab hadn't picked him up on time. Jackson eventually arrived at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, wearing a dark suit and clutching a Bible, about 20 minutes late. The hearing then resumed.
Jackson, who has been living at his west suburban church, has been upset that he hasn't been allowed to stay with his family in Georgia while awaiting trial. This week he was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times saying, "Because of Judge Sharon Coleman's continual mocking of God's ecclesiastical order and the sanctity of family/marriage, the wrath of God almighty shall soon visit her home."
Court officials then announced that security had been increased for Johnson Coleman. The preacher's comments struck a nerve in Chicago's federal court because of the 2005 murders of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother.
Johnson Coleman said in court that law enforcement was investigating Jackson's statement.
Against his lawyer's advice, Jackson spoke in court Wednesday, saying that the judge was never in danger and that the word "wrath" was misinterpreted in his original comments. He then cited a Bible verse in front of the court and told Johnson Coleman that "wrath" meant that God "told me he would talk to you about me being apart from my wife."
"You are a Nubian queen," Jackson told the judge. "If I heard someone was going to put their hands on you, I would call the U.S. marshals myself."
Jackson and his wife are accused of fraud for allegedly submitting false documents to secure state subsidies for day care centers. He has denied wrongdoing and said Wednesday that a "white system" is unfairly targeting a preacher simply trying to do his best to help the community. Jackson and the judge are both black.
In court, Johnson Coleman scolded the preacher for his comments to the media before acknowledging his explanation and saying he could remain free on bail. When the judge asked Jackson if he wanted to address the court, she seemed to caution him by saying that he "often opens mouth and inserts foot."
"This is not a game show," the judge said. "This is not reality TV. This is not who can be the most popular preacher in the country."
After the hearing, Jackson spoke with reporters outside the courthouse despite the objections of a man the preacher later identified as his older brother. The brother made contact with a TV cameraman and caused a reporter to scold him for touching her microphone.
"Sorry about this," Jackson told the journalists. "I'm so embarrassed."
mitsmith@tribune.com
Bishop Herman Jackson, of Ark of Safety Apostolic Faith Temple, wasn't in court when his hearing started on time at 3 p.m.
"You've got one person missing," U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman told Jackson's attorney.
The lawyer, Matthew McQuaid, told Johnson Coleman that his client's cab hadn't picked him up on time. Jackson eventually arrived at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, wearing a dark suit and clutching a Bible, about 20 minutes late. The hearing then resumed.
Jackson, who has been living at his west suburban church, has been upset that he hasn't been allowed to stay with his family in Georgia while awaiting trial. This week he was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times saying, "Because of Judge Sharon Coleman's continual mocking of God's ecclesiastical order and the sanctity of family/marriage, the wrath of God almighty shall soon visit her home."
Court officials then announced that security had been increased for Johnson Coleman. The preacher's comments struck a nerve in Chicago's federal court because of the 2005 murders of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother.
Johnson Coleman said in court that law enforcement was investigating Jackson's statement.
Against his lawyer's advice, Jackson spoke in court Wednesday, saying that the judge was never in danger and that the word "wrath" was misinterpreted in his original comments. He then cited a Bible verse in front of the court and told Johnson Coleman that "wrath" meant that God "told me he would talk to you about me being apart from my wife."
"You are a Nubian queen," Jackson told the judge. "If I heard someone was going to put their hands on you, I would call the U.S. marshals myself."
Jackson and his wife are accused of fraud for allegedly submitting false documents to secure state subsidies for day care centers. He has denied wrongdoing and said Wednesday that a "white system" is unfairly targeting a preacher simply trying to do his best to help the community. Jackson and the judge are both black.
In court, Johnson Coleman scolded the preacher for his comments to the media before acknowledging his explanation and saying he could remain free on bail. When the judge asked Jackson if he wanted to address the court, she seemed to caution him by saying that he "often opens mouth and inserts foot."
"This is not a game show," the judge said. "This is not reality TV. This is not who can be the most popular preacher in the country."
After the hearing, Jackson spoke with reporters outside the courthouse despite the objections of a man the preacher later identified as his older brother. The brother made contact with a TV cameraman and caused a reporter to scold him for touching her microphone.
"Sorry about this," Jackson told the journalists. "I'm so embarrassed."
mitsmith@tribune.com
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