Seminary school with Tacoma site ripped off the VA for $7M, laundered funds, DOJ says
Jan. 10—A chain of churches described by former members as a cult that targets soldiers for their government benefits is under federal investigation for money laundering and wire fraud, among other offenses, following a series of FBI raids this summer, including at its Tacoma location, according to court papers.
Federal prosecutors described the investigation of House of Prayer Christian Churches of America conducted by the FBI and the Inspector General for the Department of Veteran's Affairs in a civil forfeiture complaint filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, where the church is headquartered and operates a second location. HOPCC also has facilities in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Killeen, Texas, both near military bases.
Seamus Hughes, a research journalist and the deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, first publicized the complaint in a newsletter post shared with The News Tribune.
"HOPCC used various psychological efforts, including public shaming, financial coercion, and control of minute aspects of the military members and veterans' lives in order to control and exploit them economically," federal prosecutors alleged in court papers.
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