OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — A federal judge Tuesday sentenced a former bishop to time served and home confinement, after he pleaded guilty to four felonies and agreed to provide restitution to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and local affiliates.
Former Bishop Staccato Powell, 65, pocketed more than $14 million in loans obtained by fraudulently mortgaging church properties.
In an Oakland federal courthouse Tuesday, U.S District Judge Jeffrey White, a George W. Bush appointee, sentenced Powell to three years of supervised release for each felony charge, which included mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit both. He was also sentenced to 18 months of home confinement, with stipulations to forfeit the deeds to church properties, not open any new lines of credit, and be subject to search at any time…