BUNNELL, Fla. (AP) - Jurors found a former central Florida pastor guilty of participating in a scheme to dupe friends and church members out of nearly $400,000.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports it took the jury about 90 minutes Thursday to find 54-year-old Wesley Brown guilty on 19 of the 31 charges he faced. Brown's bond was revoked and he was taken into custody to await sentencing.
Prosecutors characterized Brown's tactics as a Ponzi scheme, saying it was part of a nationwide network that included victims from Florida to New York. Brown, a volunteer pastor at Calvary Chapel Flagler Beach, told six people he was investing their money. Instead prosecutors say he paid credit card bills and shopped.
The scam netted some $395,000 from December 2010 to June 2012.
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