The District Attorney of Queens County in the United States has sentenced a 56- year-old United States-based Nigerian pastor to 15 years in prison for raping two teenage girls.

According to the Attorney, Richard A. Brown, the pastor, Reuben Chizor of the Hope Restoration Ministries Worldwide Inc. will also serve 10 years of post release supervision.

Brown also revealed that Chizor who took advantage of the trust reposed in him as a man of God, manipulated, controlled and raped both girls in the basement of his church which also served as his residence.

“The sexual abuse began with the 14-year-old victim in July 2011 and continued with one or both of the girls through May 2013. He raped the 14-year-old sister on July 27, 2011 before doing same to her 12- year-old sister on August 22 later that year. The girls finally confided in each other over the rape in 2015 following which the police was notified,” a statement from the Attorney’s office read.

“The defendant took advantage of his position as a man of the cloth and the trust placed in him by his followers to satisfy his depraved desires.

“Through manipulation and conniving control, he sexually abused his two young victims for nearly two years. What the defendant forced his victims to endure was horrendous and as a punishment he now will be spending a lengthy term behind bars,” the statement added.

The trial which began in June and lasted a week, found Chizor guilty of one count each of first and second-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.