Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Minkow may face criminal charges related to his former church

He may have used Community Bible Church funds in his fraud-busting business

Barry Minkow, the con man-turned-pastor-turned con man, may face more criminal charges, according to a story in the New York Post today (Sept. 25). Minkow is now serving a five-year sentence in the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky after he was found guilty of defrauding builder Lennar Corp. through his Fraud Discovery Institute, which was tied to Mira Mesa's Community Bible Church, where he was head pastor. Minkow split his time between saving souls and chasing crooks through the institute.

He actually did some high-quality work exposing monkey business at multi-level marketing companies, but he got into trouble when he made untrue charges against Lennar while shorting the stock. Officials in that company's home state of Florida nailed him on fraud charges, and he went to the Kentucky prison, where he is in drug rehabilitation. He is due to be released next year, unless the San Diego matter extends his stay behind bars.

The Post based its story on a letter written by the federal prosecutor in Miami who handled the Lennar case. He wrote a letter to a Florida federal judge stating that Minkow "is likely to be transported soon, via a writ, to the Southern District of California in connection" with the Community Bible Church charges.

Federal investigators have been investigating claims that Minkow used church money to support the investigations business. Two years ago, the church made allegations to the court that delayed Minkow's sentencing. The letter said he improperly used church funds to finance Fraud Discovery Institute.

In 2007, I did a column about a member of that church, William Newsome, who, among many things, complained that the fraud-busting institute was on the premises of the church. Newsome peppered the church with financial questions that went unanswered. Newsome got suspended by the church.

As a teenager in the Los Angeles area, Minkow created a multimillion dollar stock fraud, ZZZZ Best, supposedly a carpet-cleaning operation. But almost all the sales were fraudulent and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He got out in seven years after supposedly finding God. He became head pastor of the church and raised a bundle of money for it, as its growth spiraled upward.

Then Minkow went too far in the Lennar case, and it has been all downhill since.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Love Thy Neighbor(Hood): Food & Art Exploration

Events November 2-November 6, 2024

Barry Minkow, the con man-turned-pastor-turned con man, may face more criminal charges, according to a story in the New York Post today (Sept. 25). Minkow is now serving a five-year sentence in the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky after he was found guilty of defrauding builder Lennar Corp. through his Fraud Discovery Institute, which was tied to Mira Mesa's Community Bible Church, where he was head pastor. Minkow split his time between saving souls and chasing crooks through the institute.

He actually did some high-quality work exposing monkey business at multi-level marketing companies, but he got into trouble when he made untrue charges against Lennar while shorting the stock. Officials in that company's home state of Florida nailed him on fraud charges, and he went to the Kentucky prison, where he is in drug rehabilitation. He is due to be released next year, unless the San Diego matter extends his stay behind bars.

The Post based its story on a letter written by the federal prosecutor in Miami who handled the Lennar case. He wrote a letter to a Florida federal judge stating that Minkow "is likely to be transported soon, via a writ, to the Southern District of California in connection" with the Community Bible Church charges.

Federal investigators have been investigating claims that Minkow used church money to support the investigations business. Two years ago, the church made allegations to the court that delayed Minkow's sentencing. The letter said he improperly used church funds to finance Fraud Discovery Institute.

In 2007, I did a column about a member of that church, William Newsome, who, among many things, complained that the fraud-busting institute was on the premises of the church. Newsome peppered the church with financial questions that went unanswered. Newsome got suspended by the church.

As a teenager in the Los Angeles area, Minkow created a multimillion dollar stock fraud, ZZZZ Best, supposedly a carpet-cleaning operation. But almost all the sales were fraudulent and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He got out in seven years after supposedly finding God. He became head pastor of the church and raised a bundle of money for it, as its growth spiraled upward.

Then Minkow went too far in the Lennar case, and it has been all downhill since.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Will Nicolas Marsch get invited to Jewel Ball?

Patricia and Nicolas Marsch III are society darlings, but judges in San Diego and Florida doubt Nicolas's credibility.
Next Article

William Newsome suspended from Barry Minkow's church

Acknowledges his "spirit of bitterness" and "envy"
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader