Federal prosecutors on Thursday indicted the founder and several leaders of the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America, accusing the Georgia-based ministry of running a decades-long, $22 million fraud scheme that targeted U.S. military members and veterans.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, alleges the church and affiliated entities orchestrated mortgage and real estate schemes, diverted GI Bill education funds, and filed false tax returns. The indictment followed a Wednesday FBI raid near Augusta, Georgia, in which agents arrested church leaders, an FBI Atlanta official confirmed.
The indictment names founder Rony Denis and church leaders Anthony Oloans, 54; Joseph Fryar, 51; Dennis Nostrand, 55; Gerard Robertson, 57; David Reip, 52; Marcus Labat, 42; and Omar Garcia, 40. Prosecutors charged them with multiple counts, including bank fraud, wire fraud, misuse of Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits and filing false tax returns. FBI Atlanta public affairs specialist Jenna Sellitto confirmed the agency carried out the raid in Columbia County, Georgia, and made authorized arrests but said identities of those taken into custody were not immediately released.
Prosecutors allege the church operated with strict control over members, using intimidation and manipulation to maintain obedience and extract funds. The indictment says leaders maintained members' personal information, controlled finances, and at times orchestrated divorces and property transfers to further the scheme.
The case traces some conduct to at least 2004 and accuses the church of using "straw buyer" real estate purchases, obtaining mortgages in members' names under false pretenses and then transferring properties to entities under church control. Court documents say church leaders collected more than $5.2 million in rental income from 2018 through 2020 while allowing mortgages on some properties to default.
Prosecutors also allege the leaders defrauded the VA by falsely certifying students for GI Bill benefits through House of Prayer-affiliated Bible seminaries, and that funds intended for veterans' education were diverted to church leaders and affiliated entities. The Justice Department in a prior filing sought forfeiture of almost $150,000 and said the church and its Bible seminary had swindled hundreds of military members out of more than $22 million.
The indictment further alleges Denis aided in filing false joint tax returns in 2018, 2019 and 2020 that resulted in claims for hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds each year. Prosecutors said their investigation has been extensive: a motion to designate the case as complex and exclude time under the Speedy Trial Act says investigators reviewed more than 175 bank accounts, conducted dozens of witness interviews, executed five search warrants across four states, and seized more than 100 electronic devices and 80 boxes of documents.
"The defendants are accused of exploiting trust, faith, and even the service of our nation’s military members to enrich themselves," Paul Brown, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement. "This indictment makes clear that using coercion, manipulation, and fraud under the guise of religion will not shield wrongdoers from accountability."
Court documents say the schemes spanned nearly two decades, involved 150 to 200 properties, and prompted more than 200 grand jury subpoenas. The House of Prayer Christian Churches has locations near Army posts including Fort Gordon, Fort Stewart and Fort Hood, and law enforcement previously conducted raids at three churches associated with the network in June 2022.
Denis, whose true identity remains unclear in court filings though prosecutors said he obtained U.S. citizenship in 2002, is being represented by attorney Steven Sadow. Sadow, who served as lead counsel for former President Donald Trump in a separate Georgia election case, could not immediately be reached for comment. The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for information about Denis' citizenship status.
More than a year after the 2022 searches, prosecutors moved forward with the indictment as part of a broader federal investigation into alleged fraud that authorities say targeted service members and veterans. The defendants now face a federal criminal process that could include pretrial motions, discovery and hearings on the prosecution's request to treat the matter as a complex case due to the volume of evidence and the multi-jurisdictional investigation.
The indictment marks the latest federal action focusing on organizations alleged to have exploited military communities. Prosecutors will now proceed through pretrial stages as the defendants are notified of charges and arraigned. Court dates, formal pleas and potential trial dates have not yet been scheduled in the Southern District of Georgia docket.