Preacher found guilty of stealing from hundreds of black churches

A preacher was found guilty Monday of stealing nearly $9 million from hundreds of small, black churches across the country.

Jurors in the Abraham Kennard case deliberated for only a few hours, after having to start over when one of the jurors fell ill. They had begun deliberating on Friday.

Kennard, 46, of Wildwood, Ga., was found guilty of all 132 counts, ranging from mail fraud to tax evasion. Prosecutors said he ran a pyramid scheme largely meant to take advantage of a tight network of black preachers.

“I know you can see clearly it was a scheme, all right. And for some 1,600 churches, it was a nightmare,” prosecutor David McClernan told jurors during closing arguments last week.

Kennard, who represented himself, countered he was not guilty of anything.

“It’s not a law against riding in a Cadillac if you don’t want to ride in a Volkswagen,” Kennard said in his opening remarks. Michael Trost, who served as Kennard’s standby counsel, said he believed Kennard intended to help the churches.

About three-quarters of the investments were supposed to be used to build resorts and the rest would go back to the churches that paid a $3,000 fee. But the resorts were never built and, in most cases, the money was never paid out, authorities said.

Saying he was backed by more than $100 million in investments, Kennard told preachers that for a fee of a few thousand dollars their churches could be “members” of his company, which he said was developing Christian resorts around the country. In return, he promised that in a few months those churches would get a grant or a forgivable loan of up to $500,000.

Prosecutors said Kennard and his colleagues persuaded some preachers to sign on, and then the scheme spread like a cancer through black churches, as the trusted and trusting ministers told their friends, nephews, cousins, brothers and, most importantly, fellow pastors.

“It wasn’t about ignorance. It was about trust,” said the Rev. James Cane of Victory Worship Center in Birmingham, Ala. Cane was one of several preachers who testified for the government during the three week trial.

Big plans churches had for their money _ for expansions, outreach programs and drug rehabilitation classes _ crumbled while much of the money Kennard received went to himself and his family who bought cash, cruises and more than a dozen cars.

The vehicles, along with Kennard’s assets, were seized by the government. Kennard also used the money to pay for private jets and limousines he used during trips to promote his program.

His cousin, Jannie Trammel, and his stepbrother, Alvin Jasper, were also indicted but pleaded guilty and testified at Kennard’s trial. Lawyer R. Scott Cunningham is charged with money laundering, but will be tried later.

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