Man who claimed to be a missionary spent millions meant for Bibles on gambling, gold, and real estate, prosecutors say
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- A Georgia man obtained more than $30 million by posing as a Christian missionary, prosecutors said.
- He told donors and faith-based charities that he would use the money to bring Bibles to China.
- But he actually used the money on gambling, jewels, and real estate, prosecutors said.
A Georgia man who posed as a Christian missionary used millions of dollars that were meant to go toward buying Bibles for China on gambling, precious jewels, and other personal expenses, the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Georgia said in a press statement on Tuesday.
Jason Gerald Shenk has been indicted on four counts of wire fraud and 37 counts of money laundering, the US Attorney's Office said.
Prosecutors allege that Shenk obtained more than $30 million from faith-based charities and individual donors by promising to produce and distribute Bibles and other Christian literature in China, the Attorney's Office said.
But prosecutors say the funds were actually funneled into a variety of shell corporations, some based in Georgia. Others were linked to bank accounts in North Carolina, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Rather than putting the money toward Bibles, Shenk used a significant amount on personal indulgences, the indictment said.
According to the indictment, Shenk spent about $1 million on an online sports gambling website, $4 million in purchases of at least 16 life insurance policies in other people's names, and made purchases totaling more than $820,000 on 10 personal credit cards.
Prosecutors also say he spent about $1 million on diamonds, gold, and precious metals, invested money in real estate in Chile, and channeled millions to the company running his family's farm.
The indictment alleges that Shenk carried out the scheme from as early as April 2010, up until July 2019.
Shenk renounced his US citizenship in 2016 to avoid financial reporting requirements under federal law, the US Attorney's Office said.
Prosecutors said warrants have been issued for his arrest, and that he is being sought internationally.
"When people of faith donate money for evangelistic purposes, they reasonably expect those who solicit their donations to act as faithful stewards of those funds," Jill Steinberg, a US attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a statement.
"This case alleges an egregious breach of that trust at the expense of multiple charities and individual donors," she added.