Update 11/2/23: Johnny Maio’s people have been attempting to pressure me to delete this post about him. The survivor that came forward about him regarding abuse at Idlewild Baptist Church has since deleted her Instagram post about him, citing that she believes that he has changed. That is certainly her right to do so, but belief that he has changed does not negate abusive incidents in the past and public concern about sexual predation. Also, it is not wise to assume that there has only been one victim. Yesterday, I received a message from Ben Lambert, a lawyer acting as a negotiator on Johnny Maio’s behalf. If he has truly changed, then the onus is on him to prove that throughout the rest of his life, which will not be accomplished by attempts to erase the internet of his past bad behavior. Efforts to do so indicate to me that we are right to be concerned about his risk to others who are vulnerable.
A woman came forward last week in a public post telling her story of sexual abuse by Johnny Maio, a singer/songwriter in Tampa, Florida. He is a part time staff member at Idlewild Baptist Church. He is active in the music ministry at Idlewild and works as a private instructor at The Centre, a branch of Idlewild’s music and worship ministry. He is also on staff at DeArmon Creative Arts School and Theater as a musical director and private instructor for elementary, intermediate and high school students. Maio also serves as the worship leader for Tampa Salvation Army Church.
A woman wrote about her abuse by Maio in an Instagram post. She states that she came forward to a pastor and his wife at the time of the abuse, but they did not report to law enforcement. In the years after, she states that she also came forward to several other church leaders/staff, but nothing was done. She refers to a “culture of abuse” that has been allowed to persist for many years at Idelwild Baptist Church.
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In response to the allegations of abuse, Idlewild Baptist Church sent out a letter addressing the issue and announcing that Johnny Maio has been placed on leave. He is not named in the letter however. The church states that the Department of Child and Family Services has been contacted.
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