Ex-Bishop Staccato Powell and Sheila Quintana are accused of taking control of congregations' properties and using them to obtain loans.
Two former leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in California are facing federal charges after authorities alleged they defrauded churches across the state out of $14 million.
Powell and Quintana served as officers of Western Episcopal District Inc., which they formed in 2016 after Powell was selected to be bishop overseeing the church’s Western District, prosecutors said.“The indictment alleges that Powell and Quintana conspired to defraud AME Zion Church congregations in Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles by re-deeding the local congregations’ properties in the name of WED Inc.,” prosecutors said.
Those mortgages often had unfavorable terms such as high interest rates, according to the indictment. The scheme came undone in 2019 after congregations started getting notices that loans on their churches were in default, the court documents said.
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