Greater Ministries International was an Evangelical Christian ministry that ran a Ponzi scheme in an affinity fraud that had taken nearly 500 million dollars from 18,000 people by the time it was shut down by federal authorities in August 1999.[1] Headed by Gerald Payne in Tampa, Florida, the ministry bribed church leaders around the United States.[2] Payne and other church elders promised the church members double their money back in 17 months or fewer, citing Biblical scripture.[3][4] However, nearly all the money was lost and hidden away.[5] Church leaders received prison sentences ranging from 121⁄2 years to 27 years.[6]
| Company type | Evangelical ministry |
|---|---|
| Industry | Religion |
| Founded | 1993, Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Headquarters | Tampa, Florida |
Key people | Gerald Payne, Director |
The group had ties to Stayton, Oregon-based Embassy of Heaven,[2] run by Glen Stoll, which was later closed by the Justice Department.[7]
Their group founded a newspaper, the "Greater Bible College" in Tampa, a line of "Greater Live" herbal remedies, cancer treatments ("We actually pull the cancer right out of your stomach", Payne claimed.), a supplement called "Beta 1, 3rd Glucan" (to survive "end-times plagues",) and plans for "Greater Lands", an independent country (an "Ecclesiastical Domain ... similar to the Vatican") where other governments would have no jurisdiction.[8]
In popular culture edit
In 2007, the first story on the episode "Religious Prey: Greater Ministries Int'l / It Takes a Thief", of the television series American Greed, covered the fraudulent criminal actions of Greater Ministries International, including a prison interview with Gerald Payne insisting that God Himself was still going to refund all the stolen funds.[9]
References edit
- ^ "Victims of church scam unlikely to recover losses". Sarasota Herald. Tampa. Associated Press. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Extremism in America: Greater Ministries International". Anti-Defamation League. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
- ^ ZOLL, RACHEL (August 13, 2006). "FOXNews.com - Religion-Related Fraud Getting Worse". www.foxnews.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Federal Officials Charge that Florida-Based, Antigovernment Greater Ministries is Actually a Criminal Fraud - Southern Poverty Law Center". splcenter.org. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). June 15, 1999. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
..."nobody's lost a dime in nine years, and we double everything." ..."It's not our money, it's God's, but we know how to make it, and we know how to give it out so people give gifts to our ministry and we give it back to them double." ...Prosecutors say that beginning around March 1993, Greater's leaders promised their victims that they would double their money in 17 months or less
- ^ "Greater Ministries International". CNBC. CNBC LLC. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Rawlings, Nate (7 March 2012). "Top 10 Swindlers". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Heckman, Candace (February 17, 2005). "Two Snohomish County men accused of anti-tax scheme". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
- ^ "Federal Officials Charge that Florida-Based, Antigovernment Greater Ministries is Actually a Criminal Fraud". Southern Poverty Law Center. 15 June 1999. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Religious Prey: Greater Ministries Int'l / It Takes a Thief". American Greed. Season 1. Episode 6. 2007-07-26. CNBC. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
External links edit
- www.greater-ministries.com (archived)
- Injunctions/press releases
- Ohio Division of Securities Obtains Injunction, August 24, 1999
- Pennsylvania Injunction, 1999
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, February 19, 2002
- Articles