By Aaron Miller-
A Philadelphia-based outreach leader for Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental rights group advocating for the exclusion of discussions on gender and diversity from school curricula, has been exposed as a registered sex offender.
Phillip Fisher Jr., a pastor at the Center of Universal Divinity in Olney and works with Moms for Liberty- a national conservative organization that bills itself as a defender of parental rights- by connecting the Philadelphia chapter with other local faith leaders in an effort to grow the group and local Republican ward leader, volunteered at Moms for Liberty’s national summit in Philadelphia this year.
Fisher had pleaded guilty in 2012 to aggravated sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old boy when he was 25 and residing in Chicago.
Fisher insists on innocence, despite pleading guilty to one of 12 counts filed against him after an investigation by the Chicago Police Department, according to court records obtained by The Inquirer.
Fisher was living in Chicago at the time, but hails from Philadelphia and has since returned and become active in local politics
The news came to light when Sheila Armstrong, chairwoman of Philadelphia’s Moms for Liberty chapter, confirmed that Fisher was still planning to volunteer at her autism non-profit’s Christmas party.
Armstrong expressed surprise at learning about Fisher’s criminal record after receiving a “child abuse history certification” from Pennsylvania’s department of human services in his name, which did not show any record of him as a perpetrator of child abuse.
Fisher is registered as a sex offender on an Illinois state police list and the US justice department’s national sex offender website.
In response, Moms for Liberty posted Fisher’s certification on X- formerly known as twitter- stating that the news outlets picking up the story “don’t want to hold [state] leaders accountable” and clarifying that Fisher was not a chapter chair but a volunteer.
The group emphasized that their chapter chair had conducted a background check with Pennsylvania homeland security, and Fisher was cleared pursuant to child protective services law.
Co-founder Tina Descovich has come to Fisher’s defense, arguing that he is certified by the state as “ALL CLEAR” and criticized the focus on Fisher rather than the state system certifying him.
Court records show that Fisher pleaded guilty to one of 12 charges filed against him, involving oral and anal sex with the victim, a 14-year-old boy, in January 2011. Fisher served three years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
Fisher claimed that the charges were fabricated, describing it as a “railroad job” by Lyndon LaRouche’s political action committee, and insisted that he was the victim at the time. LaRouche’s organization is considered an “anti-government extremist” group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
This revelation adds further controversy to Moms for Liberty, an organization previously listed as an “anti-government extremist” group, which has been pushing for book bans and advocating for the removal of discussions on race, discrimination, and LGBTQ+ identities from public education.
Philadelphia’s Republican committee has demanded and received Fisher’s resignation in light of these revelations.