GA Church Cult Leaders Stole Millions, Arranged Marriages: Feds

Eight members of a suspected church cult were indicted this week on fraud and tax charges after accusations they stole millions from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, arranged marriages and divorces, exploited military personnel and forced people to live in properties they owned.

The eight defendants are part of the House of Prayer Christian Church of America, according to the Department of Justice's Southern District of Georgia office in a news release published Wednesday.

Additionally, on Thursday, justice officials said a House of Prayer pastor was indicted and accused of sexually abusing a minor and having child pornography.

A federal court on Wednesday unsealed a 26-count indictment in the former and a five-count indictment in the latter.

How It Started

The DOJ identified the suspected group leader only as "Rony Denis" in the release. Justice officials said Denis' real first and last name were unknown.

They accused Denis of stealing his identity in 1983 and used it to become a U.S. citizen in 2002.

Afterward, the DOJ said he established the House of Prayer and affiliate House of Prayer Bible Seminary. The House of Prayer has multiple Georgia locations.

Denis and seven others were accused of using their leadership roles to "exert extreme control over congregants."

Church members were manipulated into handing over personal information and were forced to live in properties that both brought in rental income and were connected to the eight defendants, the DOJ said.

Furthermore, the church members were coerced into marriages and divorces arranged by church leaders, the DOJ said.

Military personnel were recruited into the church and instructed to enroll in the House of Prayer Bible Seminary, the DOJ said.

They were told to use their veterans benefits to "funnel money into church-controlled accounts" under the guise of expense reimbursements and love offerings, the DOJ said. The funding was then used to pay the defendants' credit card bills, the DOJ said.

Denis and the others were accused of limiting contact between congregants and those who left the church, embarrassing those who violated rules and keeping a list of "ex-traitors" of the House of Prayer.

Authorities also accused Denis of falsifying income tax returns for three years. He reported an income total of $165,601 in 2018, $155,408 in 2019 and $247,433 in 2020, "despite knowing those figures were false," the DOJ said.

'Straw Buyers'

Authorities say church members were disguised as "straw buyers" in real-estate transactions that included falsifying loan applications and closing documents, forging powers of attorney and establishing limited liability corporations to obtain and transfer properties.

The defendants gained control of the properties, turned them into rental homes and raked in more than $5.2 million in rental income between 2018 and 2020, the DOJ said.

The funding was then used to pay mortgages, "cover personal expenses and benefit members of the conspiracy, while leaving some of the straw buyers with damaged credit and foreclosures."

Authorities say the defendants have been defrauding financial institutions since 2004.

Defrauding Veterans Affairs

Further allegations included fraudulently receiving millions from the Department of Veterans Affairs and military veterans starting no later than 2011 and continuing through 2022.

The DOJ said the defendants illegally acquired a religious exemption that prohibited the receipt of federal funds by Georgia seminaries. Authorities say the exemption was obtained for two of the five locations for the House of Prayer Bible Seminary.

The defendants were accused of applying and accepting Veterans Affairs education benefits, making them ineligible to maintain the exemption.

The House of Prayer Bible Seminary gathered more than $3 million in education benefits for its Georgia locations and more than $23.5 million for all five locations.

Then, from 2013 through 2021, the DOJ said officers with the House of Prayer Bible Seminary unlawfully sent Georgia regulators false certifications that claimed the federal funds were never received.

"The scheme funneled funding from VA education benefits to its seminary and related church accounts, enriching the defendants while exhausting some veterans’ benefits, often without students completing their programs," the DOJ said in the release.

Enticing A Minor

House of Prayer Pastor Bernadel Semexant, 35, of Hinesville and Savannah, on Wednesday was indicted on charges of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, sexual abuse of a minor, transfer of obscene material to a minor, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, the DOJ said.

Specific details into the case were not released, but if convicted, Semexant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and up to $1.25 million in fines. Semexant would also have to register as a sex offender.

“The allegations in this indictment reflect a profound betrayal of trust by an individual in a position of spiritual authority," Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said in the release. "The FBI is committed to pursuing those who exploit children and ensuring they are held accountable. We urge anyone with information about Pastor Semexant or others in positions of trust within HOPCC to come forward—your voice matters, and you may help protect other potential victims.”

Authorities say Semexant may have worked in House of Prayer locations in Hephzibah; Hinesville; Savannah; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Tacoma, Washington; Waco, Texas; and Clarksville, Tennessee.

Indictments

Charges against the defendants were as follows, per the DOJ:

• "Rony Denis," age unknown, of Hinesville and Martinez in Georgia, as well as West Palm Beach, Florida: conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and assisting in filing a false tax teturn.
• Anthony Oloans, 54, of Hinesville: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
• Joseph Fryar, 51, of Hinesville and Martinez: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
• Dennis Nostrant, 55, of Hinesville: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
• Gerard Robertson, 57, of Hinesville: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
• David Reip 52, of Hinesville: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
• Marcus Labat, 42, of Hinesville: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
• Omar Garcia, 40, of Palm Bay, Florida: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
• Bernadel Semexant, 35, of Hinesville and Savannah: enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, sexual abuse of a minor, transfer of obscene material to a minor, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.