A bench warrant has been issued in Maryland for civil rights icon Walter Fauntroy . The 82-year-old pastor and former Congressman , who was a trusted aid to Martin Luther King Jr. , has had his passport revoked as a result of the warrant . Fauntroy is believed to be somewhere in Africa , according to friends and family . The warrant stems from an event to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama in Maryland in 2009 that Fauntroy was involved in organizing . Warrant : Walter Fauntroy , a trusted aid to Martin Luther King Jr. , is wanted over his involvement in an event for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and a $ 50,000 check he wrote for the function that bounced . He is seen here with the Rev . Al Sharpton in Washington in August 2010 . According to WUSA9 , he and some others hired vendors for the function , however the party never actually happened . A $ 50,000 check he wrote to cover expenses then bounced . If and when Fauntroy re-enters the country , he will be arrested . Bench warrants are usually issued by judges for persons deemed to be in contempt of court . Suspicions were raised about Fauntroy 's possible disappearance in November when he missed the funeral of fellow civil rights activist and friend Marion Barry , who served three terms as mayor of the District of Columbia . He then failed to participate in any events related to the 50th anniversary of Selma . Flashback : Walter Fauntroy - seen center right with Martin Luther King Jr. ( left ) at the White House in 1965 - is believed to be on the run , with a bench warrant issued for his arrest . Historic : Walter Fauntroy raises Marion Barry 's hand in victory after Barry won his campaign for a seat on the school board on November 1 , 1971 in Washington , DC . Civil Rights icon : Walter Fauntroy and Coretta Scott King talk to a D.C. police officer while protesting outside the South African embassy in 1984 . Fauntroy started going to Africa , first to Libya - where he claimed to have a relationship with Qaddafi - before traveling to Nigeria and Dubai . Friends and family report they do n't know why Fauntroy would be in Africa . They have also questioned his mental state , living accommodations , and believe he has no source of income , WUSA9 reported . In 1959 , Fauntroy became pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington , D.C. , succeeding his mentor , Reverend Charles David Foster , who had just passed away . Walter Fauntroy , a pastor and former civil rights leader ( seen here in 1969 ) is now wanted over his involvement in an event to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama in Maryland in 2009 . Disappeared : Fauntroy listens here as President Barack Obama speaks during a dedication ceremony at the Martin Luther King , Jr. Memorial on October 16 , 2011 . The following year Martin Luther King and Wyatt Tee Walker asked him to become the District of Columbia branch director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) . Fauntroy accepted and became the civil rights organization ’ s lobbyist in Congress until 1970 . He lobbied for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and worked on the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in 1965 , and the Meredith Mississippi Freedom March in 1966 .
Bench warrant issued for Walter Fauntroy , 82 , in Washington . Former pastor was a trusted aid to Martin Luther King , Jr . Wanted over his involvement in a 2009 Presidential Inauguration event . The event never happened , and a $ 50,000 check Fauntroy wrote bounced . He has not been seen since last year and is believed to be in Africa .