A former Christian missionary and convicted sex offender has learned his fate after he pleaded guilty to abusing boys in Texas.
Daniel Savala appeared in court in Waco, Texas, by video from jail on Thursday, May 7, three years after he was arrested in 2023. After he pleaded guilty to a charge of continuous trafficking of persons in connection with the sexual abuse of two boys, a McLennan County judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole, according to KBTX and KWTX.
Savala, 70, is also expected to face court in Harris County amid his connections to other active investigations in Brazos County, according to KBTX. However, a date has not yet been set.
He is currently in custody at the McLennan County jail, though he is expected to eventually be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Savala pleaded guilty to the charges after a pastor from Waco brought his two sons to Savala’s home. The 11-year-old and 12-year-old boys were reportedly told to undress in his sauna, where Savala sexually abused them.
Multiple allegations were made against Savala, though leaders in the Chi Alpha campus ministry, run by Assemblies of God, failed to act on them, according to NBC News.
The outlet launched an investigation into the allegations in 2025 and found that the leaders in the Assemblies of God were repeatedly warned about Savala, and they were also aware he was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in Alaska in 2012. However, they still allowed him to work with students in Texas.
Savala was known as “Papa Daniel” and “the holiest man alive,” and Chi Alpha sent students to his home in Houston for advice.
The Assemblies of God told NBC News that they directed Chi Alpha leaders to stay away from Savala after they learned about the allegations in 2018. The denomination said they received “reports of sexual abuse” five years later and “took appropriate actions.” More than half a dozen ministers who had ties to Savala were then let go.
“We have been heartbroken to hear allegations related to Daniel Savala and the pain his reported actions caused,” the statement said to NBC News. “The Assemblies of God stands in strong opposition to the teachings and practices he followed.”
Joseph Cleveland, who said he was abused by Salava between the ages of 15 and 24, took the stand during his trial.
“There’s gratitude that it’s finally over. We fought for almost three years to the day he was arrested,” he said, according to KWTX. “It was also weird seeing him again, looking him in the eyes seeing the body language is the same to when it first started 20 years ago.”
Cleveland said he forgave Savala to help him heal, though many of his victims were still traumatized from his abuse. “I want to represent myself because I am a victim as well, but also represent them in this,” he said.
