By Nathan Duke
A Bayside pastor used the church he leads as collateral to post his bail after being indicted on rape charges in an alleged incident involving an underage girl, a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney said.
Phillip Joubert, 48, paid $350,000 bail in December by putting up the Community Baptist Church, at 46-19 206th St. in Bayside, as collateral, a spokeswoman for Queens DA Richard Brown said.
On May 24, he was arraigned at the Kew Gardens Courthouse before Queens Supreme Court Judge Fernando Camacho on an eight-count indictment, including charges of rape, incest, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, the spokeswoman said. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison, she said.
The defendant, who lives in Norwalk, Conn., was scheduled to return to court July 28.
His attorney could not be reached for comment.
Joubert will also appear in court in Connecticut this Thursday for a separate case in which he has been charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and risk of injury to a child, a felony, according to court records from Connecticut’s Judicial Branch. He also serves as pastor for Norwalk’s New Light Missionary Baptist Church.
He was originally arraigned Nov. 25 in Queens following two alleged rape incidents involving a 13-year-old girl that took place between July 25 and Aug. 2, the DA’s spokeswoman said. He was arrested after having arrived back in the borough from an overseas trip, a law enforcement source said.
Joubert has been pastor of the Bayside church for seven years. His father, the Rev. Samuel Joubert, has taken over services at the church following the arrest.
The pastor’s name is not listed on the mortgage or the correction deed, according to online city financial records.
“He’s a paid employee,” said a Bayside resident familiar with the church and its pastor who did not want to be named. “He may have the title of minister, but all his earthly needs are taken care of. He gets a salary. Who gave him the right to put up the church for collateral?”
The DA’s spokeswoman said she did not know whose name was on the property’s deed or whether Joubert was allowed to use the church as collateral.
The Connecticut incident was alleged to have taken place Nov. 14 at his home, court records show. Police from that state allege Joubert struck a 13-year-old girl in the face and punched her several times in the torso after he came home to find his apartment messy.
He has pleaded not guilty in both the Queens and Connecticut cases.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
