Preacher gets 17 years after bilking churches

Nearly $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.

Read Another Article

Catholic Church is losing sway in Europe
The MOVE Disaster: May 13, 1985

Related News Articles Topic(s): Abraham Kennard Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Abraham Kennard Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog