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Two years ago today: Woman's free will 'was compromised', Church struggles with changes in its mission, financial woes and Religion-based scams take Lord's name in gain
Former business associate takes stand in fraud trial
The one time vice president of administration for NIIC has agreed to a 3-year sentence for her plea.
Abraham Kennard’s former business associate and co-defendant took the stand in federal court Wednesday to testify against him.
Jannie Trammel, who once served as vice president of administration for Kennard’s company, was indicted along with Kennard for conspiracy to commit money laundering. She entered a guilty plea on Jan. 11, just before opening statements in her trial were to begin.
Trammel agreed to a 36-month prison sentence as part of her plea agreement, but she will receive an official sentence from the court on April 15.
She also agreed to testify for federal prosecutors against her onetime employer, who is charged with more than 100 counts of mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and income tax evasion.
Prosecutors contend that Kennard used his company, Network International Investment Corporation, to bilk approximately $9 million from 1,600 churches and nonprofit organizations in 41 states during 2001 and 2002.
Kennard’s brother, LaBoyce Kennard, is also still a defendant in the case for his alleged participation in the scheme.
Trammel, with an expressionless face and soft voice interrupted by the occasional sigh or gulp, testified on Wednesday that she was troubled by the business from the beginning.
When Trammel was recruited to join NIIC in July 2001, Kennard allegedly hired her to manage the staff of New Beginning Resort in Wildwood, a community in Dade County.
When she arrived at Kennard’s Wildwood home, she testified, there wasn’t a working resort at all — despite the fact that Kennard was advertising it in a brochure.
“I was a little discouraged at first,” she told Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips of her discovery. “But because I was related to him (Kennard) and it was a family business, … I continued. But I was discouraged.”
At that point, Trammel said, she began assisting Kennard with NIIC’s “Church Funding Project” by traveling with him to recruitment meetings in various cities and states. At those meetings, member organizations were promised $500,000 in grants or forgivable loans for every $3,000 paid upfront in membership fees.
Trammel testified that she wrote and signed NIIC documents for Kennard in his name, always with his approval. She would also attempt to correct grammatical mistakes in his writing, although often her help would be unwanted. “He’d say, ‘I don’t need you to change that. I need it to say exactly what I need it to say,’” Trammel recalled.
Prosecutors will resume their direct examination of Trammel at 10 a.m. today in U.S. District Court.
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