Eight Members Of The House Of Prayer Churches Indicted After Raid In Columbia County
A federal grand jury indicted eight people connected to the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America (HOPCC) on various fraud schemes and tax charges following a raid at a…
A federal grand jury indicted eight people connected to the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America (HOPCC) on various fraud schemes and tax charges following a raid at a home on Honors Way in Westlake subdivision in Columbia County.
According to the indictment, from 2004 until the present, Rony Denis, Anthony Oloans, Joseph Fryar, Dennis Nostrant, Gerard Robertson and David Reip, along with others, are accused of taking part in a long-running conspiracy to defraud financial institutions.
According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly recruited members of their organization to serves as "straw buyers" in real estate transactions, concealing the true buyers' identities. They falsified loan applications and closing documents, used forged powers of attorney, and created limited liability corporations to acquire and transfer properties. After seizing control of the properties, they converted them into rental homes, collecting more than $5.2 million in rental income between 2018 and 2020.
The indictment also alleges that starting no later than 2011 and continuing through 2022, Rony Denis, Omar Garcia, Marcus Labat, and Gerard Robertson conspired to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. military veterans of millions in education benefits.
In addition, Denis is also accused of aiding in the preparation and filing of false income tax returns for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
The 26-count indictment charges:
- FNU LNU (First name unknown, last name unknown) aka RONY DENIS, of Hinesville, Georgia, West Palm Beach, Florida, and Martinez, Georgia with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, and Aiding and Assisting in Filing a False Tax Return.
- ANTHONY OLOANS, 54, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
- JOSEPH FRYAR, 51, of Hinesville, Georgia, and Martinez, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
- DENNIS NOSTRANT, 55, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
- GERARD ROBERTSON, 57, of Hinesville, Georgia with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
- DAVID REIP, 52, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
- MARCUS LABAT, 42, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud.
- OMAR GARCIA, 40, of Palm Bay, Florida, with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud
The FBI and the United States Attorney's Office are seeking additional victims whose personally identifiable information may have been misused by HOPCC. If you, your family member, or anyone you know has had contact with HOPCC and would like to report a crime, complete the online questionnaire at fbi.gov/HOPCCVictims.
