Detroit —Two men were convicted on felonies Tuesday in connection with a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 21 African-American churches in Metro Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan.
A jury convicted Michael J. Morris, of Waldorf, Md., and William T. Perkins of Oxon Hill, Md., of defrauding the churches in a $660, 000 scheme.
As part of the fraud, churches entered in a kiosk leasing scam that allowed leasing companies to withdraw thousands of dollars directly from church bank accounts leaving the congregations in financial distress, according to Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, whose office initiated an investigation into the scheme.
"These felony convictions bring justice for the churches and for the greater community that fell victim to this extensive Ponzi scheme," Cox said in a prepared statement.
Both defendants will be sentenced before Judge Gregory Bill on Dec. 6.
Each man could spend at least 10 years in prison on each count of the crime they were convicted on.
The churches involved were in Detroit, Ferndale, Highland Park, Inkster, Ypsilanti, Flint, Port Huron and Saginaw.
Authorities say Morris and Perkins targeted over 160 churches in 13 other states and the District of Columbia.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Wednesday, October 27th 2010 at 2:03PM
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