The former president of Frontier Alliance International (FAI), Dalton Thomas Lifsey, has been accused of several instances of sexual misconduct. The allegations were published in a 93-page report. FAI was a mission and media ministry focused on the Middle East. While Lifsey resigned two years ago after an affair came to light, this report details more serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
In this report, victims were anonymized and given alphanumeric codes. One woman referred to as RV1 described how “During her stay at Dalton Lifsey’s home, there were many times when Dalton would take RV1 and another woman out for recreational activities that did not include Dalton’s wife,” the report found. “According to RV1, Dalton would come up with ‘different excuses’ for not including his wife.” The same woman said, Dalton dramatically professed his love for her.
“He came out and looked completely distraught and then communicated that he loved me,” RV1 told investigators. “And yeah, it all fell apart from there. It was very, I think, confusing for me. I was a single woman, obviously loved the Middle East, and have these passions. And here was a man who loved the same things, we connected, and yet he was married.
She described how “I was angry, I was frustrated, I cried. It was a lot of mixed emotions, and I didn’t really know what to do at that time.” After this confession, Lifsey turned on her. He told her how “this could destroy the rest of the community.” She eventually agreed to meet up with him at a hotel. While he told her they would stay in separate rooms, the two began an affair.
She said “I went there thinking we were just going to be talking. And one thing led to another, and we unfortunately did some sexual acts. We did not have sex. We never had sex, but it was basically anything and everything but sex.” The woman cut off the affair years later when it became clear that Lifsey was not going to leave his wife.
Aside from the affair, the report chronicled other instances of misconduct. “Having only met W-10 a few days before, Dalton, without permission, grabbed W-10’s hand and “yanked” her toward the beach to go night swimming,” the report described. “Dalton came up to W-10 and “wrestled” with W-10 under the water, putting “his arms around [W-10’s] waist, underneath [W-10’s] chest.”
Lifsey has repeatedly denied any responsibility. He described the victims as ‘seductresses’ and fought against calls to resign. In response to the report, the FAI board released a statement. They issued a heartfelt apology to all who were hurt or impacted by our shortcomings.” We are deeply sorry for the pain that you have suffered, and for the ways, our organization failed to provide the safety, support, and accountability that you needed and deserved,” FAI said.
They concluded, “We acknowledge that our policies, practices, and culture fell short, and we take full responsibility for these failures. We understand that words alone are insufficient, and we are committed to taking tangible action.” This statement is in line with the report’s recommendations, which advocated for a full apology and commitment to change.