Donald Doolittle, a 58-year-old director of safety and security at Gateway Community Church in Webster, southeast of Houston, was charged with impersonating a public servant. Today, he’s rightly facing the long overdue legal ramifications of his behavior. As a legal formality at a brief court hearing on Saturday, they charged him. The new charge came on the heels of accusations that he had previously extorted a woman who performed a massage on him.
Congressman Doolittle is accused of wrongdoing in relation to a 2006 incident that occurred when he was attempting to book a massage. The victim runs a traditional storefront business out of a small office building in far northwest Houston. Doolittle comes under fire immediately after the session. She even reportedly impersonated a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent to try to get more money out of her.
According to news reports, things spiraled out of control when Doolittle insisted that his victim send him the money using Zelle. He allegedly threatened her with deportation if she failed to comply, stating, “He demanded she Zelle him $500 or he would take her away and she would never see her family or children again,” according to the magistrate overseeing the case.
The victim’s narrative came to light when she unexpectedly crossed paths with law enforcement officers at an outreach luncheon. This was a day after the extortion purportedly took place. By telling her story, she triggered an investigation that ultimately led to Doolittle being removed from practice.
Doolittle’s arrest comes shortly after a warning issued by ICE’s cyber crimes unit about a scam involving criminals impersonating ICE agents to extort money from unsuspecting individuals. The Federal Trade Commission found that these scams most often involve threats of arrest by police or deportation. Scammers use threats to pressure victims into providing personal details or sending payments.
The Gateway Community Church, where Doolittle is safety director, is in Webster, southeast of Houston. The church hasn’t publicly responded to the charges against Doolittle while the investigation is still underway.