Two former pastors at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in California are facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly defrauding churches across the state out of $14 million.
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Sheila Quintana, 67, and Staccato Powell, 62, who were leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion), were arrested and indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges, the Los Angeles Times reports. The duo is accused of securing the loans under false pretenses, and using the funds for personal expenses, authorities said Tuesday.
Here’s more from the LA Times report:
Authorities allege the two took control of congregations’ properties and used them to secure loans to benefit themselves in a scheme that ran from around October 2016 to late July 2021, according to the indictment, which was filed Jan. 6 and unsealed Tuesday. Court documents describe the conspiracy as a “campaign of pressure and misinformation targeting pastors who served at the pleasure of Powell.”
“The indictment alleges that Powell and Quintana conspired to defraud AME Zion Church congregations in Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles by re-deeding the local congregations’ properties in the name of WED Inc.,” prosecutors said.
Powell and Quintana each face two…
