Holy Roller Took Christians For $25M

Feds Say Alleged Con Man, Blew Money On SUV, Fine Dining And Shopping Sprees

(AP)  Federal investigators arrested a man Friday on a charge of wire fraud and alleged he ran a Ponzi scheme that netted more than $25 million by targeting Christian investors nationwide.

Jon G. Ervin, 61, of Mission Viejo, was named Thursday in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. A federal magistrate set bail at $1 million during a brief court appearance Friday and Ervin was not immediately released.

Ervin's public defender, Leon Peterson, didn't immediately return a call for comment.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission also filed lawsuits against Ervin and his company, Safevest LLC, on Thursday and obtained federal orders freezing their assets.

According to the criminal complaint, Ervin used Safevest to persuade victims to invest in a fake commodity futures trading program. Investors were told Safevest would use no more than 13 percent of their deposit in hundreds of commodity trades a day on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, with a guarantee of up to 1 percent in returns each day.

Investors could check their returns on a password-protected Web site that was run exclusively by Ervin. The program attracted about 550 investors, officials said.

Investigators alleged, however, that Ervin didn't invest any of the money in commodities trading and instead spent $1 million of the money to invest in a Georgia golf course. He also bought a sport utility vehicle and spent lavishly on air travel, gourmet meals and shopping, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Up to 80 percent of investors were churchgoing Christians and many joined the program after being approached by fellow worshippers through a referral system, according to court papers.

Those who referred others in their church would receive a 10 percent "referral fee" from the profits of the new members they solicited; pastors were required to make an initial investment of $5,000, while non-pastors had to put down $25,000, according to federal documents.

Investment materials included the resume of an Arlington, Va., pastor, the Rev. John V. Slye, who was listed as one of the founders of the National Center for Cancer Research and a prominent fundraiser for charities.

The SEC complaint states that Slye was the chief executive and co-owner of Safevest and was a signatory on several accounts, but Mrozek said Slye has not been charged in the criminal case because it's unclear how much he knew about the operation. Investigators have also not determined if all the information on Slye's resume was accurate.

"Basically, what you have here is a scheme that is being orchestrated by Ervin," Mrozek said. "There are people who are wittingly or unwittingly assisting him, and we're still trying to figure out who knew what, and when."

A Web site for Grace Community Church in Arlington, Va., lists a John Slye as pastor. Slye didn't immediately return a message left at his office and did not respond to an e-mail.

Ervin eventually returned about $18 million to investors who grew concerned and asked for their money back, but the rest was never recovered, Mrozek said. Ervin would dodge investors' phone calls or delay returning the money through a series of excuses, the criminal complaint said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Waier, who is prosecuting the case, was traveling and unavailable for comment Friday.

[haoli25]

P.T. Barnum was right!

[timdgrim]

libagenda: Judge not lest ye be judged.

[atomant59]

Wow, Pack of wolves?? I thought christians were not suppose to judge others, that was gods domain!!! Sounds like the new breed of Christian (Talk the talk but don''t walk the walk)

[kansas1946]

All someone has to say is that they are a Christian, or make a Jesus fish part of their buisness logo and Christians believe it and think that person is honest. Anyone can say anything and many of the biggest crooks alive profess to be Christians. Whenever I see the Jesus fish, I avoid those businesses and people like the plague.

[j-whitman]

Jesus told him to do it

[kansas1946]

It will only be a matter of time before the atheists/secularist liberals find this article on here and begin another assault on Christianity. Once the word gets out to these packs of wolves, they are relentless.

Just watch.


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Posted by libagenda at 11:16 PM : May 02, 2008
*******************************************

If you are a "real" Christian, you will not be attacked by anyone for that. If you are a real Christian, nothing you do or say would be open for attack.

[rebelscout]

Organizied religion,the biggest scam ever.

[rudy654-2009]

It will only be a matter of time before the atheists/secularist liberals find this article on here and begin another assault on Christianity. Once the word gets out to these packs of wolves, they are relentless.

Just watch.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by libagenda at 11:16 PM

About as relentless as you are, wouldn''t you say? I mean everytime, without exception, some article comes up about Islam, War, or Evolution, you post away with all kinds of nonsense. But I guess that''s okay, because you''re a Christian, and secular humanist and athiests don''t have the same rights you do, at least not in your mind. You know, you leave the door wide open and bring nothing good to the message of your god.

[eddynewhope]

Hey Libagenda - What the hell the do liberals have to with this? This is Christian on Christian fraud. Nothing more. You''re a fuggin moron.

[Macstyler]

Like most self-righteous hypocrites who use confuse religious dogma with Christian doctrine, you used the convenient part of a scripture to make your point. If your point truly was valid enough to be used as a legitimate argument, you would have used the complete thought which includes the second verse of Matthew chapter 7. "For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. WEB". To paraphrase: Judge not lest ye be judged ACCORDINGLY.

This is not an attack on Christianity. Most Preachers carry themselves with a sense of entitlement that they are in a position of authority and cannot be questioned since their actions are by definition ''serving God'' so they are infallible, right or wrong. If someone should question their actions, the questioner is the heretic. A minister who believes he is called to serve is a rarity. Those who believe they are called to preach are mostly driven by ego and the power trip of being a leader is mostly a means to an end. Those who follow have already failed. A true leader creates other leaders. The so-called con man was simply too clever for his own good and couldn''t quit while he was ahead. His ''investors'' were stuck somewhere between unwise and greedy. True Christians wouldn''t gamble so frivolously. They got their just desserts for choosing selfishness over God.

[formrusmcsgt]

Up to 80 percent of investors were churchgoing Christians and many joined the program after being approached by fellow worshippers through a referral system, according to court papers.
---
When looking for suckers, there no more fertile ground than among the gullible......

[j-whitman]

I''ll bet I can make millions selling glasses to these people by telling them they are Special Jesus Glasses, they can see the Holy Ghost

[veteran72]

Up to 80 percent of investors were churchgoing Christians and many joined the program after being approached by fellow worshippers through a referral system, according to court papers.
---
When looking for suckers, there no more fertile ground than among the gullible......


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Posted by formrusmcsgt at 12:35 AM : May 03, 2008
+ report abuse

It''s what I like to refer to as a "Target Rich Environment"....LMMFAO...

[veteran72]

I''''ll bet I can make millions selling glasses to these people by telling them they are Special Jesus Glasses, they can see the Holy Ghost


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Posted by j-whitman at 12:46 AM : May 03, 2008
+ report abuse

I forsee great wealth and prosperity in your future, my son!!!.....ROLMAO...

[j-whitman]

I can sell these guys Brussel Sprout Cake & Lake Tahoe

[j-whitman]

If you are a real Christian, you''ld smoke a bong for Jesus, enjoy God''s own creation

[veteran72]

If you are a real Christian, you''''ld smoke a bong for Jesus, enjoy God''''s own creation


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Posted by j-whitman at 01:01 AM : May 03, 2008
+ report abuse

I can just imagine ricky stoned to the bone for the first time in his life and suddenly realizing all those lost years ranting about jeebus that he''ll never be able to recoup.......
I wonder if he''d grow his hair out and move to the coast to take up surfing and babe chasing.....
Naaaaaaaaaaa.....

[gce65]

Ha! A Christian Ponzi scheme! Didn''t they ask themselves, "Who would Jesus invest with?"
They should have remembered: a fool and his money are soon parted. Serves them all right.

[gce65]

Sell these people plain cheap white sheets as Holy Ghost costumes for Halloween! Boo! :)

[spinster2]

Since the plot was targeting christians and accidently snagged twenty percent of non christians, I would have to say that there is plenty of gullability to go around.

As I remember, Jim Jones didn''t have too much trouble targeting the San Francisco elites.

[missut2]

j.whitman, veteran72, and gce65....aren''t you all clever and witty! It''s a shame that anyone would use the name of Jesus Christ to dupe Christians...but it''s even worse that you can somehow find humor in others losses. I wonder if you will be that clever and witty on that day when you will bow on your knee, and your tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is truly Lord. Somehow, I doubt it.

[republic1776]

When will they go after people selling "Carbon Credits" that''s a rip off too!

[irliberal]

"Holy Roller Took Christians For $25M"

A fool and his money are soon parted.

[ermarhick-2009]

Thank you, jmcgilvray !!!!!!!!!

I am so tired of being criticized by some on the right.
The critique is often comes from Fox Entertainment Channel watchers ( sorry, it just seems to be the case. You Fox fans are comparable to actresses in Hollywood, young and old, who go to the same plastic surgeon, and thus end up looking like closely related family - you all sound the same. It''s frightening ). They are recognizable by a complete and utter misunderstanding of anything left, and a vicious hate or distaste for anyone with a different opinion.
What''s so amazing about these individuals is that they, like you and me, are on the internet.
That you have the tools in your hands and obviously don''t put it to any real use is sad.

Here''s something for you Fox fans :
.....maintain themselves in political power by means of secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, personality cults, regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism, single-party states, the use of mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror tactics"....
...sound familiar? It''s called Totalitarianism.

[nothappyatall]

LOL thats funny!! but then again, I''m not surprised since anyone who believes in a magical Santa Claus in the sky who kills his son to save them from himself is of the mindset to fall for the most insanely stupid scams and schemes.
Oh well, that cash would have otherwise lined the CHURCH bank accounts, so it was no loss.

[nothappyatall]

It will only be a matter of time before the atheists/secularist liberals find this article on here and begin another assault on Christianity. Once the word gets out to these packs of wolves, they are relentless.

Just watch.
Posted by libagenda

Yeah RICK, kind of hard to miss it when its on the FRONT page, it not like one has to go hunting for it.


"About as relentless as you are, wouldnt you say? I mean everytime, without exception, some article comes up about Islam, War, or Evolution, you post away with all kinds of nonsense. But I guess thats okay, because youre a Christian, and secular humanist and athiests dont have the same rights you do, at least not in your mind. You know, you leave the door wide open and bring nothing good to the message of your god.

Posted by rudy654"

That about sums it up, he does nothing but slam the people with his gezus juice over and over and over like he is going to convert us or something by sheer boredom LOL

[nothappyatall]

Once the word gets out to these packs of wolves, they are relentless.

Just watch.
Posted by libagenda"

Cant take the HEAT Rick? or is it your god isnt strong enough to do his OWN battles? Maybe you should take a clue and skidaddle on out to some other web site where people WANT to read your brand of right wing krap.

youtube.com/user/dersheeple

[brianbwb-2009]

"Somehow, I doubt it." Posted by missut2

Easy enough, simply say "Yo, Jeebus, what''s up, dude? Great job fleecing the flock, er, tending the flock, now that so many are so flocked up, Y''know, even overnight, sheep will stray if they don''t see their shepherd, what''s it been now, more than two thousand years?

Isn''t it time to quit flocking around?

[nothappyatall]

you all sound the same. Its frightening
Posted by ermarhick

Actually its just ONE guy- Rick miesse (pronounced ''Mi-***'') AKA: singinrick, TruthWord08, Jankebonz, libagenda and a thousand other alias in here- he keeps losing accounts and creating new ones, but seasoned readers here can spot his idiocy in about 1 or 2 posts no matter what alias he comes up with for the day- he is the only one in here shouting the same tired rhetoric for god over and over like a broken record.

He once posted that he sent over FOURTY complaints to CBS one night because he claimed someone was "impersonating" him! He is a chronic whining complainer who feels CBS is here for a mini buybull sermonette archive, and read by a captive audience who is forced to read his buybull sermons in almost every thread on this site. If its an article about energy conservation hes in there posting about how his gawd saves us if ONLY we would BELIEVE! if the article is about a sale at Wal-mart, hes in there posting about how if we had his precious GEEEZUS we wouldnt need material things, and on it goes.
Tiresome, boring, obsessed, rightwing.

His youtube page says it all;

QUOTE "Atheists have blocked me from sending them emails on you tube because I have boldly stood up for.."

youtube.com/user/singinrick

More like he kept PESTERING, SPAMMING, HARASSING, and ANNOYING those people until they had enough of him and blocked him to get away from him!

[dinodavid220]

LOL...Christians are sooo gullible, i would rather this idiot have the money instead of a FAKE GOD WITH STREETS OF GOLD AND MANY MANSIONS IN HEAVEN.......hahahahahahahahahahha

[dinodavid220]

LOL...Christians are sooo gullible, i would rather this idiot have the money instead of a FAKE GOD WITH STREETS OF GOLD AND MANY MANSIONS IN HEAVEN.......hahahahahahahahahahha

[ermarhick-2009]

Thanks for the "heads up" , newster1...
sounds like a very busy guy!

[nothappyatall]

Thanks for the "heads up" , newster1...
sounds like a very busy guy!

Posted by ermarhick

Sure thing, but more like obsessed than busy he is. Now watch on sunday, after church lets out with him fully of that old tyme religion and gezus juice and he runs home to play on his computer, you can bet he will be in here posting a flurry of posts full of nothing but his gezus diatribe.
By now he wore out the ''welcome'' for his libagenda alias, so dont be surprised to see a new one but same bullchit.

[nothappyatall]

Almost forgot, RIck also claimed recently that an ATHEIST allegedly ''hacked'' into his CBS account and changed things, and posted as him, but curiously didnt change the password to lock HIM out LOL what a loon!

QUOTE of the day

"Atheists have blocked me from sending them emails on you tube because.."

(...because they got tired of his spam for gezus)

youtube.com/user/singinrick

[ermarhick-2009]

newster1, isn''t it funny how some ( certainly not all )
religious people can be so right wing?
I mean, how in the H-e-double-hockey-sticks do these people think like that after reading the bible?
I promise you, Jesus was the farthest thing from a conservative - he was a flaming LIBERAL.

[usmcvn2]

PRAISE JEEEEESSSSUUUUSSSS!!! BREAK OUT THE SNAKES!! SEND IN YOUR SS CHECKS!!!

CHIT!! THE SNAKE BIT ME!!! WHY? JAYSUS,WHY?!!


HOW''BOUT AN RRRRRMMMMMEEEEENNNNN!!!!

[usmcvn2]

Blessed are the con men for they shall inherit your pension.


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Posted by dragonwagon5 at 05:53 AM : May 03,




ROFFLAFAO!!!!

[skyk-2009]

The only one hating is you, because you HATE people who actually believe in the WHOLE Bible, not just certain parts.


Still waiting on you to condemn Islamic terrorism. Still not a peep from you on that.




Posted by libagenda at 06:53 AM : May 03, 2008
+ report abuse

Ricky we all, those of us born and raised in the south, know you are lying here! YOU are LYING!! Anyone in this nation who does NOT believe that Ricky and all the "Conserative" Christian''s hate anyone who doesn''t agree with them, I give you a Challenge. Take a few weeks off, MOVE to Ricky''s area and rent a house. Make it CLEAR to all in town that YOU are moving there and YOU are NOT "Christian". Sit back and SEE the HATE and FEEL the Bigotry. Now if you REALLY feel like you want the FULL impact of these freaks and their hatred... Challenge them in Court... raise issue with their constant INSISTANCE that THEIR beliefs are the ONLY REAL beliefs in Court. I do advise you to be VERY careful on this one though. IT could cost you your life.

[keithle1]

Good. Stick it to the Christians. I''m sick of them.

[cfin5]

This is why I do not attend church. These modern day pastors for the most part do not believe that Christ was born of a virgin when they graduate from their "cemetary" training. I have my instructions right here in Romans 16: 17-18,......Now I beseech you bretheren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.-------Folks, please remember that Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven for wanting to be worshiped above the stars of God (Isaiah 14:9-23) If it was worth to him the loss of the best angelic job in Heaven to be worshiped, he still desires this above all else ( he is the king of Tyrus in (Ezekiel 28: 11-19). His name is now Satan, and all those in Hell are waiting for him to show up.

[usmcvn2]

Praise Jesus! Put your SS check and your 11 yr old
GrandSon in the collection plate!

[xraytwonine]

the bible is a supplemental guide to living a moral life, not a rule book on how to live; religion is just as such, why can''t people be more relaxed about it?!

[fibonacci_]

Well - we do know that they are more gullible! He he.

[neobrian-2009]

This is ''Child`s Play '' compared to,...
Alanar,an church bonds & investment company,based in Sullivan,Indiana, bilked around $185 million from over 11,000 people nationwide,...is still an ongoing investigation about presently,.,but No One has spent a day in jail, and very few are recouping their funds,..Many people lost their entire ''life savings'',..

[cfin5]

Posted by FloydZepp at 07:53 AM : May 03, 2008------Don''t mean to crowd in, but when Jesus was here, he was the lamb of God. When he comes back, he won''t be no lamb, but worse than a lion. You won''t believe the amount of people that he is gonna slay with the sword he has in his mouth. That said,.....In the time that I''ve been here on this board. I feel like I''m changing. I actually like those who hate God kinda like Jesus did towards sinners when he was here. He treated sinners like me with kindness though I shook the hand of my attitude against him. Why, Rahab the harlot was even included in the Lords lineage to prove he loves sinners. He does require for us to repent of these things. The only people that he upbraided were the religious leaders for their hypocrisy. They were supposed to know better much more than the common man.

[fibonacci_]

Gullible, gullible religious people. Unbelievable. Talking snakes - turning wine to water - you name it.

[barbaraf4]

None of this will matter after 12/21/12.

[fibonacci_]

None of this will matter after 12/21/12.

Posted by barbaraf4

I had a girlfriend who believed non-sense like that. What on earth makes you think that is the year?

[cfin5]

None of this will matter after 12/21/12.

Posted by barbaraf4 at 08:12 AM : May 03, 200------You might have something there. Wish I had a nickel for the amount of times I''ve looked at the clock (rarely do) and it says 12:21 AM/PM.

[fibonacci_]

I was reading about criticism of Biblical sources - hillarious. Apparently it is not at all clear who wrote what in most cases. LOOL!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_criticism