Georgia church leaders indicted in alleged $22 million fraud targeting veterans

Federal prosecutors have indicted the founder and several leaders of the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America, accusing the Georgia-based ministry of running a decades-long, $22 million fraud scheme that targeted U.S. military members and veterans.

Following the indictment, the FBI on Wednesday conducted a raid near Augusta, Georgia, arresting leaders after years of allegations that the church operated like a cult and preyed on military communities nationwide.

FBI Atlanta public affairs specialist Jenna Sellitto confirmed to Fox News Digital it carried out a raid at a home in Columbia County, Georgia, and made authorized arrests related to the church investigation. 

Sellitto said she could not immediately release the identities of those taken into custody.

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The charges come after the FBI in June 2022 raided at least three churches associated with the House of Prayer Christian Churches in Georgia and Texas, established just miles from Fort Gordon, Fort Stewart and Fort Hood.

Following the 2022 raid, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a forfeiture motion for almost $150,000 claiming the church and its Bible seminary swindled hundreds of military members out of more than $22 million.

The indictment, filed Thursday in the Southern District of Georgia, charges church founder Rony Denis and church leaders Anthony Oloans, 54, Joseph Fryar, 51, Dennis Nostrand, 55, Gerard Robertson, 57, David Reip, 52, Marcus Labat, 42, and Omar Garcia, 40, with a series of crimes including bank fraud, wire fraud, misuse of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits and false tax returns.

Denis, whose true identity remains unknown but who obtained U.S. citizenship in 2002, is accused of exercising strict control over members through intimidation, manipulation and forced obedience, according to the indictment.

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Leaders allegedly aided in the manipulation by maintaining members’ personal information, controlling their finances and orchestrating divorces and property transfers.

Dating back to at least 2004, prosecutors allege the church orchestrated “straw buyer real estate purchases,” using church members’ names to obtain mortgages under false pretenses and then transferring the properties to entities under its control.

Church leaders allegedly collected more than $5.2 million in rental income from 2018 to 2020 while allowing mortgages to default, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors also accuse the leaders of defrauding the VA by falsely certifying students for GI Bill benefits through HOPCC-affiliated Bible seminaries.

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Funds intended for veterans’ education were instead diverted to church leaders and affiliated entities, according to the indictment.

In addition to the other crimes, court documents note Denis allegedly aided in filing false joint tax returns in 2018, 2019 and 2020, resulting in claims of hundreds of thousands of fraudulent refunds each year.

In a motion to designate the case as complex and exclude time under the Speedy Trial Act, prosecutors claim they reviewed more than 175 bank accounts, conducted dozens of witness interviews, executed five search warrants across four states, and seized more than 100 electronic devices and 80 boxes of documents.

“The defendants are accused of exploiting trust, faith, and even the service of our nation’s military members to enrich themselves,” said Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “This indictment makes clear that using coercion, manipulation, and fraud under the guise of religion will not shield wrongdoers from accountability.”

More than 200 grand jury subpoenas were issued in the alleged fraud schemes, which spanned nearly two decades and involved 150 to 200 properties, according to court documents.

Denis is being represented by attorney Steven Sadow, who was lead counsel for President Donald Trump during his Georgia election interference case. Sadow could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for additional information about Denis’ citizenship status and identity.