Related
Translate
Previous entry: Catholic Church is losing sway in Europe
Next entry: The MOVE Disaster: May 13, 1985
Get RNB via RSS
 |
RNB's RSS feed What is this? |
Get RNB via Email
 |
 Subscribe by Email What is this? |
Follow: Twitter
Most Popular
This Week:
- Guyana’s Jonestown suicide site gets plaque
- Gaddafi preaches Islam to Rome beauties
- Scientology practices ‘putting people at risk’
- Recession: Muslim schools in UK under threat of closure
- Australian senator tells Parliament of widespread criminal conduct within the Church of Scientology
- When a child dies, faith is no defense
- Muslim terrorists smuggle fatwas promoting Jihad out of secure UK prisons
- Techie Holy water and geeky bishops
- Israel Charges Extremist With Attempted Murder Of Messianic Family
- 1-year prison term for man who participated in cyber attack on Church of Scientology Web sites
Preacher gets 17 years after bilking churches
More articles on this topic: Abraham KennardNearly $9 million stolen
ROME – A small-town preacher was sentenced to 171/2 years in prison Thursday for stealing nearly $9 million from some 1,600 black churches across the country by promising them big returns on small investments.
Abraham Kennard also was ordered to pay nearly $8 million in restitution, pay almost $600,000 in back taxes and perform 120 hours of community service upon his release from prison.
Kennard, 46, of Wildwood was found guilty by a federal jury in February on 116 counts, including fraud and evasion. Prosecutors said he ran a pyramid scheme that took advantage of the tight network of black preachers to which he belonged.
Kennard, who was talkative while representing himself during his three-week trial, made no statement at his sentencing. He could have received up to 33 years in prison.
“These people lost everything they had. Some even lost their church. The court cannot ignore that,” U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy told Kennard as his sentence was handed down.
Prosecutors said Kennard claimed his company was developing Christian resorts around the country. He told preachers that for a fee of a few thousand dollars, their churches could be “members” of his company. In return, he promised that in time the churches would get a grant or a forgivable loan of up to $500,000.
The scheme spread as the trusting ministers told their friends, relatives and fellow pastors. Churches in 41 states received “grants” from Kennard totaling more than $1 billion, prosecutors said.
“This was a disturbing criminal scheme that preyed on trusting members of the faith community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David McClernan said.
What You Can Do From Here
|
Read More Articles On These Topics
Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Read Another Article
Previous entry: Catholic Church is losing sway in Europe Next entry: The MOVE Disaster: May 13, 1985
RNB Homepage with latest headlinesFind Related Information
Find Related Books
|
Share This Article
To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:
