http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:59:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26496/appeal-ruling-in-scientology-fraud-conviction http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26496/appeal-ruling-in-scientology-fraud-conviction#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:04:24 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26496 Updated A French appeals court on Thursday upheld the Church of Scientology's 2009 fraud conviction on charges it pressured members into paying large sums for questionable remedies.

The case centered on the complaints of several people who spent huge amounts of money for the cult's 'purification packs' and other alleged 'cures.']]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26496/appeal-ruling-in-scientology-fraud-conviction/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26428/pastor-gets-15-years-for-massive-medicare-fraud http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26428/pastor-gets-15-years-for-massive-medicare-fraud#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:10:49 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26428 A federal judge has sentenced the pastor of a now defunct Los Angeles church to 15 years in prison after he was convicted for bilking millions from Medicare for unnecessary power wheelchairs.

Christopher Iruke, 61, must also pay $6.7 million in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-conspirators.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26428/pastor-gets-15-years-for-massive-medicare-fraud/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26363/ny-prosecutor-scammers-fleeced-wealthy-musician-schlumberger-heir-for-20-million http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26363/ny-prosecutor-scammers-fleeced-wealthy-musician-schlumberger-heir-for-20-million#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:39:26 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26363 A wealthy musician lost $20 million over six years to scammers who persuaded him of threats against him coming out of Central America, the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei and the CIA, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Vikram Bedi's co-defendant, Helga Invarsdottir, pleaded guilty last year to grand larceny and is awaiting sentencing.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26363/ny-prosecutor-scammers-fleeced-wealthy-musician-schlumberger-heir-for-20-million/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26297/paris-court-rejects-effort-by-scientology-church http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26297/paris-court-rejects-effort-by-scientology-church#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:23:35 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26297
The refusal of that request means the appeals hearing will move forward]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26297/paris-court-rejects-effort-by-scientology-church/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26289/church-of-scientology-fights-its-conviction-on-fraud-in-paris-appeals-court http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26289/church-of-scientology-fights-its-conviction-on-fraud-in-paris-appeals-court#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:05:31 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26289 The appeal for the Church of Scientology’s conviction on fraud has opened in a Paris court.

The cult's defense lawyersh plan to argue during the appeal that the conviction curtails freedom of religion and association.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26289/church-of-scientology-fights-its-conviction-on-fraud-in-paris-appeals-court/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26222/christian-rock-promoter-pleads-guilty-to-fraud http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26222/christian-rock-promoter-pleads-guilty-to-fraud#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:23:03 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26222 The owner and operator of a Downey, California, firm has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a Ponzi scheme that collected nearly $1 million from victims who were falsely promised that their money would be used to host Christian rock concerts.

The charge of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26222/christian-rock-promoter-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26203/christine-daniel-convicted-in-fake-cancer-treatments-preyed-on-evangelical-christians http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26203/christine-daniel-convicted-in-fake-cancer-treatments-preyed-on-evangelical-christians#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:21:57 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26203 A doctor and evangelical minister who used bogus herbal medications to offer false hope to dozens of people suffering from diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's was found guilty of nearly a dozen federal charges.

Twenty-eight victims or family members of victims who died while taking the products testified against Christine Daniel.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26203/christine-daniel-convicted-in-fake-cancer-treatments-preyed-on-evangelical-christians/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26427/2-former-la-pastors-convicted-in-health-care-fraud http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26427/2-former-la-pastors-convicted-in-health-care-fraud#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:45:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26427 Two pastors of a defunct Los Angeles church have been found guilty of preying on their trusting parishioners to run a $14.2 million Medicare fraud scheme.

The couple was accused of using information from parishioners to set up several fraudulent medical supply businesses that billed Medicare for power wheelchairs and other pricey equipment that was never provided or was unnecessary.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26427/2-former-la-pastors-convicted-in-health-care-fraud/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25346/opus-dei-assassination-plot-scam http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25346/opus-dei-assassination-plot-scam#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:15:06 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25346 fleeced out of as much as $20 million over a six-year period by a Westchester computer repairman and his girlfriend, authorities said Monday.

The saga began in August 2004 when Roger Davidson, 58 years old, a pianist and jazz composer who once won a Latin Grammy, took his computer to Datalink Computer Services in Mount Kisco, saying the machine had been infested with a virus.

The owners of the company, Vickram Bedi, 36, and his girlfriend, Helga Invarsdottir, 39, became aware of Mr. Davidson's high profile and allegedly proceeded to convince him that he was the target of an assassination plot ordered by Polish priests affiliated with Opus Dei, a conservative Roman Catholic organization, authorities said.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25346/opus-dei-assassination-plot-scam/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25280/former-wife-of-ponzi-schemer-our-entire-life-had-been-based-on-a-lie http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25280/former-wife-of-ponzi-schemer-our-entire-life-had-been-based-on-a-lie#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:47:06 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25280 Shawn Merriman visited his lawyer. Together they went to the federal government and handed them a case.

His next stop was to talk to the leaders at the Church of Latter Day Saints, where he was a respected bishop. He confessed that the company he started 14 years earlier, Market Street Investors, was a fraud.

Then he came home and told his wife.

Shawn Merriman had accumulated a $4 million fine-art collection, classic cars, expensive boats and a luxury mobile home. He had paid off the families' million dollar house in Aurora. It had all been funded with money he stole from his clients.

Last September the admitted Ponzi-schemer was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison in an emotion-filled hearing that included an appeal from his mother, one of his victims, to "make him pay."

Now divorced, Andrea -- who was unaware of her husband's fraudulent business -- shares her story on her blog, The Unexpected Life.

• Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
• How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work
• In every Ponzi scheme, some investors profit early on. But courts can force them to return the money, even if they were unaware of the fraud.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25280/former-wife-of-ponzi-schemer-our-entire-life-had-been-based-on-a-lie/feed 0