Less than a month after being placed on paid leave, American Bible Society (ABS) president Paul G. Irwin failed to have his annual contract renewed by the organization’s trustees. Irwin had served as president of the Bible society since 2005.
The trouble for Irwin started with a May 18 New York Times story about Richard J. Gordon, an expensive Web consultant whom Irwin had hired. Gordon, the story revealed, had a criminal record and longstanding business ties to pornographers. Gordon had also done credit card processing work for an online gambling enterprise.
Tax records from 2005 to 2007 reveal that the Bible society paid more than $5 million to Gordon’s companies. Several employees have questioned Irwin’s expenditures and decision-making during his tenure at ABS, and the organization’s trustees launched an independent financial investigation in wake of the New York Times report.
