Pastor conned longtime friends, nonprofit out of more than $230,000, authorities allege

A San Bernardino pastor and onetime metropolis assembly campaigner was arrested this week connected suspicion that helium swindled longtime friends and a nonprofit corp tied to different religion retired of much than $230,000, according to national authorities.

Terrance Owens Elliott, who was arrested Thursday, has been charged with 11 counts of ligament fraud, according to the U.S. attorney's bureau successful Los Angeles. The 60-year-old Crestline nonmigratory has pleaded not blameworthy and is escaped connected a $9,000 bond.

Elliott's national nationalist defender did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Saturday.

According to the indictment, from October 2019 to February 2023, Elliott — representing himself arsenic moving successful the San Bernardino metropolis authorities and being progressive with the constabulary section — defrauded respective longtime friends.

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Elliott allegedly convinced 1 friend, identified lone by her initials, M.C., to spot inheritance wealth into a spot that helium would found and administer. He claimed that she would suffer her Medicare and Social Security benefits if she received the inheritance directly, according to the indictment.

The trust, for which Elliott was co-trustee, provided that the wealth would beryllium utilized for M.C.’s fiscal needs during her beingness and for her ceremonial expenses, according to the indictment. Any remaining spot would walk to M.C.'s 3 children upon her death.

When Elliott opened a slope relationship successful the trust's name, helium allegedly listed lone himself arsenic a trustee and gave the slope a fraudulently modified transcript of the spot statement that listed him arsenic having sole powerfulness to marque payments from the account, according to the indictment.

Elliott allegedly wrote checks and made online transfers to a religion — identified lone arsenic “Church A” — that weren’t permitted nether the spot agreement. According to the indictment, helium besides utilized spot wealth to acquisition postal wealth orders to wage the church’s rent.

Some of the wealth besides allegedly went toward Elliott's idiosyncratic expenses, including repair of a Chevrolet truck, Nike sneakers, a piano, covering and an extended warranty for a motorcycle.

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Elliott besides allegedly gained entree to M.C.’s relationship astatine a antithetic slope and transferred astir $27,164 worthy of immoderate of her monthly Social Security payments to the church, according to national authorities.

When M.C.'s household asked Elliott astir the spot relationship oregon for slope statements, helium "lulled them into compliance by getting upset and telling them that everything was nether control," according to the indictment.

After M.C. died, Elliott allegedly tricked different idiosyncratic — identified arsenic W.H. — into paying a small much than $8,600 for ceremonial expenses, falsely claiming that helium needed a judge's authorization earlier wealth successful the spot relationship could beryllium released.

Elliott allegedly defrauded 4 victims, including M.C. and W.H., retired of a small much than $150,200, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

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Another alleged strategy began successful June 2021, aft authorities accidental Elliott advised W.H. connected selling a house. After the location was sold, Elliott suggested that W.H.'s corp lend M.C.’s spot $65,000, falsely claiming this would debar superior gains taxation from the sale, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges Elliott prepared a indebtedness declaration betwixt the corp and the spot and told W.H. that helium would transportation $65,000 from the corp to the spot relationship and that the spot would repay it with 10% yearly interest. He besides allegedly convinced W.H. to springiness him respective signed blank checks from the corporation's slope account.

Elliott allegedly utilized 1 of the blank checks to marque an unauthorized transportation of $16,000 to Church A, according to the indictment. Elliott allegedly transferred $49,000 to the trust, but ne'er repaid immoderate portion of the $65,000 loan.

In different alleged scheme, which authorities accidental ran from September 2018 to June 2021, Elliott utilized his relationships with a church, identified lone arsenic Church B, and its committee of directors to assistance negociate litigation expenses and different costs involving them and an entity identified lone arsenic Nonprofit Corporation A.

According to the indictment, Elliott allegedly lied to the nonprofit and Church B’s committee of directors that the nonprofit owed wealth to W.H.’s corp for services related to a suit against them. As a result, the nonprofit issued astir 32 checks to the corporation, which Elliott allegedly aboriginal deposited successful a slope relationship that helium controlled.

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Elliott allegedly defrauded the nonprofit retired of astir $23,300.

In total, authorities accidental Elliott's schemes outgo victims astir $238,563.

The San Bernardino Sun reported that Elliott ran for a metropolis assembly spot successful 2022 — a bid that was not lone unsuccessful, but brought to airy transgression convictions and civilian lawsuits against him.

If convicted, Elliott could look up to 20 years successful national situation for each count.

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This communicative primitively appeared successful Los Angeles Times.