The former leader of a North Portland nonprofit that operated a homeless shelter for mothers pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated theft and will be ordered to repay $70,000 that prosecutors say he stole.
Clayborn Collins, 52, once worked as the chief executive officer of Emmanuel Community Services. His first name also is spelled Clayborne in court documents.
Collins made no statements during his plea hearing Monday before Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kathleen Dailey. He is expected to be sentenced May 28 to three years of probation under the Multnomah County Justice Reinvestment Program, which is designed to keep defendants out of jail or prison and connect them with drug treatment, housing and other necessities that could help stabilize their lives.
He also must show up to his sentencing hearing with at least $10,000 of the $70,000 that he agrees he owes.
Emmanuel Community Services now appears defunct. It no longer is listed as a charity on the Oregon Secretary of State’s nonprofit database. Emmanuel Community Services aimed to help women, children and domestic violence victims, in addition to operating the homeless shelter. It was linked with the North Portland church Emmanuel Temple at 1033 N. Sumner St.
Collins was the subject of a 2014 investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive that found he had lied on his resume by falsely claiming he earned both a doctorate and a master’s degree from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science.
Collins also had a past: Two girlfriends got restraining orders against him. He also had been convicted of theft, forgery and a gun-related crime.
Within a week of the newsroom's investigation, Collins took a leave of absence from his job. He ultimately stepped down, but it's not clear when.
He apparently retained ties to the church or its nonprofit into 2017. In March 2018, a grand jury indicted him on one charge of stealing at least $50,000 sometime in late 2016 or early 2017.
-- Aimee Green
o_aimee
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