Assemblyman Al Taylor made convicted sex offender, ex-spy pastor of church
State Assemblyman Al Taylor hired a convicted sex offender to help lead his Harlem church — then was forced to fire him for allegedly sending lewd messages to an 84-year-old parishioner, sources said.
Andrew Warren, a former CIA station chief in Algeria was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting two women in 2007 and 2008 in separate incidents, according to a 2011 criminal complaint.
In both cases Warren, 55, allegedly spiked drinks with drugs while the women were with him at social gatherings and pouncing after they were incapacitated, according to court papers.
“Warren made a statement to the effect of ‘nobody stays in my expensive sheets with clothes on’,” one accuser told Diplomatic Security agents, according to a federal affidavit.. “As she slipped in and out of consciousness she had conscious images of Warren penetrating her vagina repeatedly with his penis.”
Warren ultimately pled guilty to charges of abusive sexual contact and unlawful use of cocaine while possessing a firearm, and was sentenced in 2010 to 65 months in prison, according to court documents.
After being released from federal prison in 2014, he moved to New York City and registered as a sex offender.
Taylor — a Democratic Assembly member since 2017 and currently running for anti-cop Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan’s soon-to-be-vacated Harlem seat — runs the Infinity Mennonite Church on Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard. He was apparently unfazed by Warren’s rap sheet and hired him as an associate pastor in 2015.
“I have known Andrew Warren since his arrival to New York City in September 2014 and he started attending the church in Sept 2014,” Taylor, 65, wrote in an affidavit supporting the early termination of Warren’s probation. “I have witnessed his high moral character and his compassionate personality as well as his genuine desire to help others over the last two years.”
Taylor — who refuses to marry same-sex couples — was happy to fast-track Warren’s accession to the cloth.
“Rev. Drew Warren is an associate pastor at Infinity Mennonite Church. We thereby consent to his registration with the City Clerk,” Taylor wrote in an October 2016 marriage officiant registration letter.
But In August 2018 Taylor was forced to boot Warren from the volunteer post after he was accused of sending sexual messages to a parishioner’s 84-year-old mother.
“No one knew. We were very surprised to find out this man’s background and only found out after we discovered these lewd messages that he was sending to my 84-year-old mother,” her son, Richard Pannel told The Post. “I was angry. I was disgusted and I felt betrayed.”
Critics said the scandal raised questions about Taylor’s judgment.
“It just goes to show that Al Taylor is not kosher and Al Taylor is not to be trusted,” said Allen Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.
The Post was unable to reach Warren — whose current whereabouts are unknown. A public records database linked his cell phone to a Queens rehab facility.
“We’re praying for him and the family,” Taylor told The Virginian Pilot in 2018. “It’s hurtful, it’s very hurtful. We’re certainly upset. We’re rebuilding trust. It’s step by step.”
“The arms of his church are wide open and invite all to come and participate – nobody is vetted at the door. As soon as Al was informed of the new allegations of sexual impropriety about this person, Al took steps to ensure the safety of his community members and furthermore removed the person from all programming and activities,” a spokeswoman told The Post.