A former professor at a Southern Baptist seminary has been charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly trying to alter records to help colleagues cover up a report of an alleged sexual misconduct incident. Matthew Queen, formerly of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, is accused of providing FBI investigators with falsified notes from a January 26, 2023, meeting he attended with two other seminary employees. The indictment was announced on Tuesday by the Southern District of New York.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated that Queen attempted to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation by creating false notes to support his own lies. Williams stressed the seriousness of this criminal obstruction charge, which underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of federal investigations.

Queen, who was appointed pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February, did not respond to requests for comment. NBC News also reached out to Queen's lawyer but received no response.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said Queen’s actions violated a court order and delayed justice for the sexual abuse victims. The seminary disclosed the incident to the DOJ upon learning of Queen’s actions in June 2023. Following this, Queen was placed on administrative leave and resigned as interim provost.

Founded in 1908 and affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary stated that all employees involved in the incident are no longer with the institution.

Court documents reveal that since 2022, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York have been investigating allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct linked to a national religious denomination referred to as the “Denomination” in the documents. In August 2022, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) confirmed that DOJ investigators were examining multiple allegations of clergy sex abuse within the denomination.

Two months after the DOJ’s involvement, the seminary received a grand jury subpoena requiring it to produce all documents related to sexual abuse allegations involving anyone associated with the school. In January 2023, Queen attended a meeting where “Employee-1” possessed a document detailing a November 2022 sexual abuse allegation involving a seminary student and the institution’s failure to address the allegation. This incident had not been reported to the DOJ, despite the subpoena.

During the meeting, another seminary worker, identified as Employee-2, instructed Employee-1 to destroy the document. Queen later provided a notebook to a third seminary employee, containing supposedly contemporaneous notes from the meeting that supported his false statements to federal investigators. However, in June 2023, Queen admitted that he was present when Employee-2 directed the destruction of the document.

If convicted of the falsification of records charge, Queen could face up to 20 years in prison.