An American pastor Terry Wayne Millender and his wife Brenda Millender were convicted by a federal jury Monday of a $2 million fraud scheme, according to the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The dynamic duo was well known and trusted in their community, as former pastors Victorious Life Church. According to Alex Times, the man of God and his wife established an entity Micro-Enterprise Management Group to help manage the funds they hoped to receive. The Virginia company said it was helping poor people in developing countries through providing small, short-term loans to start or expand existing businesses by working with a network of established micro-finance institutions.”
Under the guise of a mission to help the less fortunate, the couple recruited investors. Appearing before the court, it was revealed that the two used the money from the scheme in risky trading deals, jeopardizing the earnings of their congregants. “The Millenders concealed how they were using their investors’ money by telling those who had given money that they would get their investment back and blamed delays in repaying investors, in part, on the 2008 financial crisis.”
