WASHINGTON — He was supposed to be praying for his church members, but instead an Alexandria, Virginia, pastor was arrested and charged for preying on them.
Senior Pastor Terry Wayne Millender, 52, of the Victorious Life Church along with his wife, Brenda Millender, 56, and another woman have been arrested for their alleged roles in a $1.2 million fraud scheme targeting church members.
Millender and his wife operated a company called Micro-Enterprise Management Group with 55-year-old Grenetta Wells of Alexandria, according to court documents. Prosecutors claim Wells joined the pastor and his wife to serve as Chief Operating Officer for the company while on supervised release for her role in a $1 million Ponzi scheme.
The trio allegedly promised investors what it called a safe investment in a company that would offer small short-term loans to poor business owners in small countries. The three made their initial appearances Monday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Alexandria in front of Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan.
The money was instead used to make risky investments on the foreign-exchange currency market and for personal expenses, according to investigators. Among the fraudulent purchases was the use of the money to purchase the Millender a $1.75 million home, according to prosecutors.
When investors became concerned about their money, prosecutors said the three blamed the delays in payments on 2008 market collapse.
Last week, a federal grand jury in Alexandria heard the case and indicted the Millenders and Wells on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
All three have been arrested and each face 20 years in prison if convicted.
