OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — A judge ordered a defrocked bishop who defrauded his congregants to pay over $12.4 in restitution on Wednesday, after hearing oral arguments Tuesday and debating a monthly payment amount he could feasibly make.
Former African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Bishop Staccato Powell, 65, pleaded guilty to four felonies after diverting millions in loans obtained by fraudulently mortgaging church properties, using some for his personal benefit. His plea agreement allowed him to avoid jail time.
“Although Powell argued that the government had not carried its burden to support its request for $12,475,453, at the hearing he withdrew his objections and agreed to pay that sum,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White wrote. “The government supported its request through Powell’s factual admissions in his plea agreement.”…