BRAZIL: Anti-Gay Televangelist Charged With Embezzling $300M From Followers

[WillParkinson]

BRAZIL: Anti-Gay Televangelist Charged With Embezzling $300M From Followers


A major religious scandal is exploding in Brazil after one of the nation's best known anti-gay televangelists, Edir Macedo, was charged with embezzling $300M from his impoverished followers.

Three leading members of one of Brazil's most powerful churches have been accused of laundering millions in church donations and using worshippers' money for personal gain. The charges, unveiled on Monday by São Paulo's public prosecutor, relate to 404m reals (£150m) allegedly obtained from mostly impoverished churchgoers by leaders at Brazil's Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The money was subsequently channelled out of the country via a network of offshore bank accounts and money changers, federal prosecutors claimed. Among those charged is Bishop Edir Macedo, a controversial televangelist who founded the church in 1977, and his financial director, Alba Maria Silva da Costa.

Prosecutors says the actual amount funneled to offshore accounts could exceed $1 billion. Macedo is known for fiery condemnations of homosexuals and for his promise that donations to his ministry will be "returned ten-fold by Jesus." His church reportedly has eight million members worldwide.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/09/brazil-anti-gay-televangelist-charged.html

[MADem]

1. Hmmm. He was running a Pay/Pray To Hate scheme.

I suppose I should feel sorry for the people who were duped, but they are part of the problem, poor or not. Between the gay-hating and the greed (it's not a charitable donation, it's an INVESTMENT) I am having a hard time mustering up any sympathy. I hope the government grabs up that money for taxes and fines, and uses it for good.

[joeybee12]

2. asshole, but frankly, people who follow such scum deserve to be swindled...knr

[Initech]

7. I'm not going to disagree with you but...

We can't let assholes like this gain control of the extremely gullible. Dangerous things can happen as a result, just look at Uganda.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Faith is most often a disguise used to defraud

and deceive when it is public in nature. The high horse is a smoke screen.

[Raster]

4. Come, let us Prey!

[EFerrari]

5. A little OT but I just started following JMG on Twitter

and the blogger there was kicking rw @ss all over the universe this morning. He's great, imo.

[Vogon_Glory]

6. Mixing God and Mammon, Was He?

Mixing God and Mammon, was he? And he got busted for it?

GOOD!

[bullwinkle428]

8. I was hoping his name would be Bishop Rico Wareno.

[Zorra]

9. Like Ms. Gump told Forrest, "Stupid is as stupid does". nt