Sister says accuser planned false allegations against foster parent

The sexual abuse case against former foster parent Marvie Hill and business partner Eddie Wormwood might have taken a turn on Tuesday.

In the second day of the preliminary hearing, witnesses testified in North Las Vegas Justice Court that the two accusers, Joseph Lewellyn and Robert Hill, said they were going to falsely accuse Hill, 37, and Wormwood, 44.

Rayanne Belafonte, Lewellyn’s sister, said she heard her brother say that “he was going to lie that he had sex with Marvie and cheat him out of his money.” She said he told her there would be “consequences” if she talked to Hill or testified.

Clad in a black suit with his braids pulled into a bun, Marvie Hill bobbed his leg nervously during the two hours of witness testimony. Wormwood was more reserved with a concerned expression.

Dozens of supporters watched the proceeding or waited in the courtroom lobby. Hill kissed, hugged and shook hands with all of them.

Defense attorneys Bret Whipple and David Otto painted Lewellyn as bitter and angry about his conviction of Medicaid fraud this year and highlighted that “only 10 minutes” of his five-hour testimony on Monday included allegations of sexual abuse.

That testimony was not heard by the public as Chief Judge Natalie Tyrrell cleared the courtroom Monday, citing a law that gives the judge authority to exclude certain people from the courtroom if good cause exists. But the names of the accusers, Lewellyn and Hill, later appeared in online public records.

“He’s a felon, a criminal, and blames it on someone else,” Whipple said.

He added that Lewellyn was upset that Hill and Wormwood did not help during his Medicaid fraud trial.

But prosecutor Christopher Pandelis said he heard “no contention of the charges” and explained Lewellyn’s emotional testimony stemmed from his being sexually abused.

One of Hill’s former foster children, Klysmann Vasquez, cried as he told the court about falsely accusing Hill of making sexual advances around 2008 to get out of the home and be with his family. Vasquez said he apologized to Hill and his family.

Vasquez said he told accuser Robert Hill about the plan, and Hill said, “If it worked for you, it can work for me.”

“This man did everything for me,” Vasquez said of Marvie Hill. “He treated me better than my family.”

In the Lewellyn case, Hill faces two counts of sexual assault with a minor under 14; two counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16; five counts of lewdness with a minor; and five counts of open and gross lewdness.

Wormwood faces four counts of sexual assault with a minor under 14 and five counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16.

Tyrrell, the judge, will decide today whether to send the case to trial.

The Robert Hill case was bound over to Clark County District Court. In that case, Marvie Hill faces 20 counts of open and gross lewdness and one count of child abuse. He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 6.

Police said that on Aug. 21, a 19-year-old man told detectives that while in Hill’s custody as a 15-year-old in 2008, he was abused by Hill. According to the criminal complaints, Hill and Wormwood assaulted children orally and anally between 2005 and 2011.

Additional complaints about Hill have been made to police involving male foster children in his care. North Las Vegas police reopened all old cases involving similar allegations against Hill and Wormwood.

Both Hill and Wormwood were arrested July 21 on similar allegations and released because of a paperwork issue.

Hill is president of Unity Family Services Inc., a mental health and behavioral treatment foster care agency.

The Clark County Department of Family Services suspended Hill’s license and removed all children from his home.

Hill filed a District Court lawsuit last year against Family Services for restricting his foster care license with the intent to revoke it after more than a dozen complaints about his care .