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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPastor and wife found guilty in defrauding of friends, flock of millions of dollars
Instead, a jury in Alexandria federal court agreed that Terry Millender and his wife Brenda Millender, who together ran Victorious Life Church, defrauded their friends and flock out of millions of dollars. Terry Millender told investors they would make their money back with profit, all while fueling growth in developing countries. But that never happened. At trial, the pastor argued that he was guilty only of financial mismanagement, not fraud.
The pastor told jurors he could have made plenty of money, having run a successful restaurant recommendation business, but he was called to lead a church and a Christian-focused investment firm. To truly make a difference, he said, he needed to not just give what he could to charity but make enough money to give significantly.
You cant do good and be poor at the same time, he testified. You cant help the poor and be poor, it makes no sense. The Millenders, who were convicted Monday, both face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced in March.
Whole article here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/pastor-and-wife-found-guilty-in-defrauding-of-friends-flock-of-millions-of-dollars/2017/12/19/29ae24e4-e410-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html?utm_term=.180ccf946b51&wpisrc=nl_buzz&wpmm=1
VMA131Marine
(4,158 posts)I do not recall Jesus advocating You cant do good and be poor at the same time." I'm sure he said just the opposite, in fact.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)Laf.La.Dem.
(2,946 posts)Spoken like a MAN OF GOD!!
He needed to make a little money on the side - God's work is hard
lpbk2713
(42,769 posts)Bullshitters right up to the end.
Response to FSogol (Original post)
dalton99a This message was self-deleted by its author.
malaise
(269,219 posts)flocked
BSdetect
(8,999 posts)onethatcares
(16,192 posts)not much more to say than that folks.
DFW
(54,448 posts)Same scam--a "Christian-based" investment scheme where they sell a certain kind of tangible investment to unsuspecting victims, and basically say they're doing God's work, so their investments must be heavenly. The guy is on the lam from the US authorities for fraud, and must have gotten an EU passport because his wife was an EU citizen when he skipped the country. He now gives phone call investment "advice" to his cohorts to post on their web site in the USA, and has deliberately misspelled his last name (changed the second letter, an "o," to an "a" so no evil stuff will show up if he is googled.
My friends in Dallas got wind of this when they were asked to sell some of these "fabulous" investments for one of the victims, and found that the poor suckers had been sold high quality material but at about three times its true market value.
But the God Squad can do no wrong, correct? It has been ten years since the "expert" skipped the country, and if he has officially changed the spelling in his name and traveled to the USA on the EU passport, it's possible the arrest-on-sight order has either been circumvented or the statute of limitations has run out.
Whichever scenario is the case, it is another "Christian-based" investment scam designed to put money in the pockets of the people running it. They make Glenn Beck and Goldline seem like princes by comparison.