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West Coast pastor indicted for $13M fraud on church members
New York Post • • business
Key Points:
- Cristian Popescu, a pastor from Kirkland’s Christian congregation, has been indicted for defrauding church members of $13 million through a fake company called Followone, Inc.
- Popescu allegedly convinced investors that God chose them to fund his business, fabricating claims of high revenue, stock value, and an imminent Nasdaq IPO to attract 30 investors.
- He used shell companies and fake invoices to create the illusion of a booming business while siphoning off over $4.5 million for personal and family use, including paying his wife $300,000 despite her not working for the company.
- Popescu faces ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and 10 years for money laundering, plus a $250,000 fine; his trial is scheduled for December 21.
- Authorities highlighted that Popescu exploited the trust of his religious community, even telling investors they were "demonically possessed" when they sought to recover their money.
