Thom Shultz, the founder and CEO of Group Publishing, told ChurchLeaders that Paustian, who began working at Group Publishing in 2005, informed “company leaders in 2023 that he was being accused of incidents that allegedly happened in his home 18 years ago, not related to his work at Group.”
As soon as Group Publishing leaders learned of “Paustian’s guilty plea, his employment was terminated.”
Shultz also shared that “no official or investigator ever contacted Group about this case, made any requests, or supplied any information to the company.” Shultz indicated that Paustian’s duties as the company’s art director “did not include contact with children or children’s ministries.”
“He had a clean work record throughout his tenure with the company,” Shultz said.
“Company leaders conducted information-sharing sessions with Group staff about the case,” Shultz said, adding that Group Publishing “remains committed to ensuring safe, loving, and nurturing environments for all children.”
 was sentenced to eight years to life in prison for child sexual assault after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a six-year-old. Paustian was the Creative Director at Group Publishing, a Christian company known for publishing curriculum for churches.){kind=link}