An Aurora minister was found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in his congregation in 2008 and 2009.
On Monday, Isaac K. Aryee, 43, was convicted on one count of sexual assault on a child using force, one count of sexual assault on a child in a pattern of abuse and three counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, according to a news release from the Denver District Attorney’s office.
All counts are felonies.
The victim, born in Sierra Leone, was a member of Aryee’s church, Praise Chapel International Ministries. The first assault occurred in 2008 when the victim was 14 years old. The assaults were reported to police in October 2009, when the victim’s mother discovered she was pregnant.
In March 2010, the victim gave birth to a baby girl. Paternity tests showed Aryee was the father.
The jury deliberated for about one hour before returning the verdict Monday afternoon.
The case was originally filed in Denver but was tried in Adams County after the investigation revealed that most of the assaults happened there.
Aryee denied the allegations and testified on his own behalf.
Defense attorneys argued that the victim was not a child. They based their argument on the fact that she was never issued a birth certificate, since Sierra Leone was in the midst of a civil war at the time.
Aryee faces a minimum of 8 years and up to life in prison. His will be sentenced on Sept. 26 at 8:30 a.m. in Adams County District Courtroom 405.
