‘Survivor’ Star Convicted on Child Cruelty Charge: John Raymond Now Trying to Have Decision Overturned

Former Survivor contestant Pastor John Raymond is hoping to avoid jail time after he was convicted on three felony counts of child cruelty. In a motion filed by his lawyer in the 22nd Judicial District Court o Oct, 21, Raymond, who was the first to be voted off on Survivor: Thailand in 2002 and is a member of the Louisiana Republican Party’s state central committee, asked a judge to grant him a “post-verdict judgment of acquittal.”

“The evidence does not support Pastor Raymond’s conviction for second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, nor his three convictions for cruelty to a juvenile,” his attorney Jane Hogan argued, per Nola.com.

In a second motion, Hogan requested a retrial, arguing that Raymond’s previous attorney, Joseph Long, “compelled” Raymond not to testify and forced him to choose between taking the stand and losing his legal representation. A third motion filed by Hogan argued that District Attorney Collin Sims should recuse himself from the case, citing alleged public disagreements between Raymond and Sims.

Raymond was convicted on three felony counts of child cruelty and one count of second degree child cruelty on Monday, Sept. 23 following a six-day jury trial. The charges stem from his time as headmaster at the Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, Louisiana. In 2022, Raymond was accused of taping students’ mouths shut. The second degree child cruelty stemmed from a separate incident in which he allegedly held his hand over a 4-year-old child’s mouth, preventing the child from breathing. All crimes occurred in 2022.

Raymond has maintained his innocence. In an interview last year, Raymond said, “I’m completely innocent of these charges and confident I’ll be fully exonerated in a fair judicial process.” He claimed that the charges stemmed from “disgruntled ex-employees with an axe to grind.” After he was convicted on the charges, he again stated, “I’m not guilty. I’ve never been cruel to a child, and I love children.” However, Raymond has not denied taping the children’s mouths shut, previously stating that his actions were in line with the Bible and that he was a victim of “cancel culture.”

Raymond is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 2. In addition to possible time behind bars, it is expected that the Louisiana Republican Party executive committee will remove Raymond, USA Today reported.