Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 13, 1994 TAG: 9409130075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The plea means Naff faces considerably less time behind bars than if he were convicted of the felony charges.
Naff pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl and contributing to the delinquency of a 16-year-old girl by having consensual sexual intercourse with her. The misdemeanors each carry a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail.
Naff had initially been charged with two counts of non-forcible sodomy, a felony. Prosecutors decided not to bring a third charge - which accused him of aggravated sexual battery of a 13-year-old girl - to protect the young victim.
If convicted of the original felonies, Naff would have faced a maximum sentence of 10 years. But that was the big "if," said Randy Krantz, Bedford County's assistant commonwealth's attorney. The guilty plea assures protection of the victim and the labeling of Naff as a "sex offender," he said.
"My concern was, what if a jury didn't convict him," he said. "Or if they did, they might not have given him up to two years in jail."
Monday's action was one more legal maneuver in a complicated case that has pitted a Roanoke County minister, his wife and their three nieces against Naff.
The battle has involved a church run by a couple who are the girls' aunt and uncle. And it has publicly aired the bitterness of a once-flourishing friendship.
While the guilty plea lessened the charges against Naff, it also set conditions he must follow until his sentencing hearing. That date has not been scheduled.
Naff will be on probation, must notify an officer of the court if he leaves the state, be evaluated by a Roanoke sex counselor and register as a sex offender in the jurisdiction where he lives. Naff cannot have any contact with the teen-age victims.
If he fails to adhere to those conditions, he risks the reinstatement of the aggravated sexual battery charge, Krantz said.
The relationship between Naff and the couple began five years ago. Naff had become attached to the couple's ministry as he was embroiled in a divorce. When he needed a place to stay, the couple invited him to live in their home. He repaid the couple's kindness with trips, luxurious cars and financial support to their church.
But this spring, the friendship erupted into a public feud. The couple's nieces, who lived with the couple for a short time, accused Naff of sexually molesting them.
Naff was banished from the church. The last day he attended services, he admitted indiscretions with the girls, claiming they had seduced him.
State police subsequently charged Naff with the three felonies. Soon after, Naff filed a civil suit against the couple, claiming they owed him $172,660, money he loaned them to purchase a 5-bedroom, home in Bedford County.
The couple countersued, saying it was Naff who owed them money, $12,000, and that Naff's legal action was just revenge for the criminal allegations. The battle continues in civil court.
The couple, Naff and the victims' mother were in the courtroom Monday. None would comment afterward.
by CNB