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Pastor of Kirkland Church Indicted for Wire Fraud, Money Laundering in Connection with $13M Scheme
Prosecutors say he used fake marketing, shell companies and church ties to lure more than 30 investors into a nonfunctional platform.
- On Tuesday, Kirkland pastor Cristian Popescu was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Seattle on 10 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering tied to an alleged $13 million investment scheme.
- Prosecutors allege Popescu used his position at Passion for Christ Church to recruit over 30 investors into Followone, Inc., a Bellevue company he falsely marketed as a functioning global marketplace through lies and deception.
- More than $4.5 million of investor funds were transferred to personal and family accounts, while Popescu falsely claimed Followone was worth $1.4 billion and approaching a Nasdaq listing to prospective investors.
- When investors demanded refunds, Popescu allegedly became irate and called them 'demonically possessed'; he pleaded not guilty and remains released on electronic monitoring while awaiting trial.
- An investigation by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation revealed the scheme; if convicted on all counts, Popescu faces up to 30 years in prison, with trial scheduled for December 21, 2026.
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15 Articles
15 Articles
Pastor allegedly swindled flock out of $13M, branded victims ‘demonically possessed’ when they demanded money back
The "Passion for Christ" pastor allegedly tricked 30 investors out of millions by lying about his fake startup's revenue and upcoming Nasdaq IPO.
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left2Leaning Right3Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
15%
C 62%
R 23%
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