A former gay conversion ministry leader, who is married, was apprehended in a police sting operation for allegedly attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old boy, authorities report.
Alan Chambers, a 54-year-old father of two, is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and trying to set up a meeting through Snapchat and Telegram with an officer posing as a teenage boy, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
The sheriff’s office stated, “Our detectives stopped a predator before he had the chance to harm a child.”
Between February and May, Chambers allegedly sent a photo of a man’s torso and genitals, along with an image of his face, as detailed in an affidavit obtained by WESH.
He repeatedly expressed his desire to meet the teen for sex, even suggesting the boy take an Uber to his office.
Chambers messaged the boy about “forbidden love” and expressed how much he wanted him, as per the arrest document.
Chambers also expressed concern over their age difference and the possibility of being discovered.
“Is it bad that I want to make love to someone who is 14?” he asked the undercover agent, Fox 35 Orlando reported.
Chambers served as president of Exodus International, an Orlando-based ministry that claimed it could “cure” homosexuality, from 2001 to 2013.
He closed the ministry in 2013, apologizing to the LGBTQ community “for years of undue suffering and judgment at the hands of the organization and the church as a whole.”
Investigators also found messages in which Chambers solicited sex from male prostitutes, the affidavit states.
Chambers was taken into custody during a traffic stop on May 18.
When questioned about communication with children, Chambers admitted to communicating with one 14-year-old on Snapchat.
He also disclosed that he currently lives with his wife and two children in Winter Park.
Chambers faces charges of soliciting a minor via computer, transmitting harmful material to minors, and unlawfully using a two-way communication device.
He was released on a $15,000 bond and is barred from contacting anyone under 18.
Chambers is also prohibited from using social media and can only go online for work purposes.
