A pastor and leader in Philadelphia’s Moms for Liberty chapter has been exposed as a registered sex offender.
Phillip Fisher Jr., a pastor and faith-based outreach leader for the group’s local chapter, was convicted in 2012 for aggravated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy, according to the The Philadelphia Inquirer. Fisher was 25 and living in Chicago at the time.
Moms for Liberty is an alt-right group that claims it fights for “parental rights,” but it’s been labeled an extremist group because of its efforts to ban books and stop discussions about race and gender in schools. Despite a push by the group to get its candidates in school boards across the nation earlier this month, its efforts were largely unsuccessful. Members of the group have also called people advocating for LGBTQ+ rights “pedophiles.”
Fisher was responsible for connecting the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty with faith leaders in the area to expand the group, according to reports.
Sheila Armstrong, a chair of the Philadelphia Moms for Liberty chapter, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that she was surprised about Fisher’s conviction. She said he had been has been active in events with the chapter and volunteered at the Moms for Liberty summit in June in Philadelphia. He also campaigned for Dr. Mehmet Oz’s unsuccessful Senate run and organized a town hall meeting for Republican David Oh’s campaign for Philadelphia mayor.
Fisher told the Inquirer that the sex offender conviction was thanks to a “railroad job” made up by a political action committee for conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche. Fisher said the conviction is “one blip” on his background.
“I never went out of my way to hide anything,” he told the outlet. “I’m in the database. It’s an easy search.”
A representative for the Philadelphia chapter of Moms for Liberty did not immediately respond to a request for comment.