The Rev. Abraham Kennard shared his dream of a string of Christian resorts with a few of his fellow black ministers. They told a few more. And the few more told a few more. And they all told their flocks.
Soon, congregations nationwide - many with only a few dozen members - were holding fish fries, sponsoring cake walks and throwing carnivals to raise the $3,000 they needed to invest in Kennard's company.
For their small investment, the faithful were assured, they would eventually get their money back more than 100 times over - up to $500,000 in a grant or a forgivable loan. What they actually got, prosecutors say, is duped.
Kennard, 46, was charged with bilking nearly $9 million from 1,600 churches in 41 states in just over a year. His month-long trial on 132 counts - from money laundering to tax evasion to mail fraud - ended Thursday and his fate now lies with a jury, which was scheduled to begin deliberations Friday. Link
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