Raided Augusta church accused of stalling federal investigation
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A church accused of defrauding veterans and the government of millions of dollars is stalling a federal investigation, according to prosecutors.
In documents filed April 4, prosecutors want Georgia’s southern U.S. District Court to impose fines and hold several House of Prayer leaders in contempt.
The FBI simultaneously raided House of Prayer churches in Hinesville and Augusta in June 2022 for suspected VA fraud.
The church seminary is accused of scamming the government out of GI Bill funds by recruiting veterans but not delivering worthy instruction. Some critics say the church is a cult that draws in military and veterans to accomplish this.
According to previous court filings, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid more than $20 million in benefits to the church as part of GI Bill funding for education.
The federal government also argued the church tried to control the lives of military to take advantage of them financially.
The court ordered the church and its parent company to turn over documents, but they refuse, saying this would violate their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves.
Federal prosecutors say the Fifth Amendment doesn’t apply to corporations.
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“A man who steals from a church does not fear God, his community or law enforcement. He is capable of hurting. Many is his community,” said the Rev. Mark Barnwell.
Instead, they say the church must appoint an agent who can turn over the material without invoking the Fifth Amendment.
Federal prosecutors say any arguments against turning over the documents are irrelevant at this point, since the time for doing so has ed.
The only matters left for consideration are whether the church has shown cause for not complying and who bears responsibility for that, prosecutors say.
Further, the church hasn’t shown how anyone would be incriminated by truthfully answering questions on the company’s ownership or employees, according to prosecutors.
In addition to the Georgia sites, federal agents raided church locations in Killeen, Texas; Fayetteville N.C.; and Tacoma, Wash.
All are near military installations.
The Augusta church – on Old Tobacco Road just outside Gate 5 of Fort Eisenhower – was called the Assembly of Prayer but was part of the House of Prayer church system.
The church claimed to provide seminary schooling, and had more than 300 veterans enrolled for nearly a decade.
They were paid approximately $16 million from the VA for tuition, stipends and housing. The VA sent direct payments to the seminary for about $7 million in tuition.
The educational services were not performed to the standard required by the VA.
Investigators accuse the so-called seminary of:
- Overstating and otherwise misrepresenting the number of hours of instruction.
- Misrepresenting the qualifications of faculty of the seminary.
- Misrepresenting the facility locations of students.
- Misrepresenting the facility locations of faculty .
- Misrepresenting the time periods over which faculty worked for the seminary.
- Misrepresenting the courses taught by faculty .
- Misrepresenting the courses available.
- Misrepresenting the manner of instruction.
- Misrepresenting the quality of instruction.
- Misrepresenting the nature of the education program, including the requirements to successfully complete the program.
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