Prosecutors in a South Carolina state have swiftly made a move to block an appeal by a suspect to have his sentencing postponed. The accused, Archie Evans, a former preacher at Tilly Swamp Baptist Church, was brought to book after he admitted responsibility for spearheading a Ponzi scheme — a program that cost the church members $2.5 million. The defendant was indicted on July 2012 on a total of 14 felony frauds, among them: money laundering, doctoring transactions in order to overlook federal bank reporting requirements, and mail fraud.
At the court, the only alibi the accused could come up with is that he was ‘’mentally incapacitated’’ a condition he says was caused by a disease he had succumbed to. He further explained that he had battled with the illness without anybody chipping in to help him until he was hospitalized. He argues that his sentence has to be scheduled for a later date to give him time to pay his hospital bill. ‘’Having to work these extra hours, and have having to prepare as best as I can for a sentence hearing that I know nothing about will consume every hour I have for multiple months at a minimum,’’ he explained to the court.
However, Evans was not certain on what duration of time it would take him to get ready for the hearing. Bill Day, the assistant U.S attorney prosecuting the case, sternly objected to Evans’ request. He was quoted saying ‘’Evans has had an ample time to prepare for his sentencing, motion for an indefinite continuance should be denied.’’
Interestingly, the hearing has not been assigned any day so far.
The accused did not deny the wrongdoings for two of the charges, but the sentence was postponed when he opted to withdraw his pleas of being guilty, claiming his lawyer had imprudently persuaded him to plead guilty in order to seal a deal with the prosecutor, although he wasn’t guilty at all. On further pondering, he again changed his mind and opted to remain guilty.
A report to proceed with a pre-sentence hearing of the case was finalized a year ago but Evans is insisting on the hearing being pushed forward to a later date until he is well prepared.
According to the accusations presented before the court, the former pastor lured the church members to investing in his company, Gold & Silver LLC, and guaranteed them quarterly payments varying between ten percent to twelve percent. This, of course, was a promise he couldn’t keep, prompting him to prepare dishonest records that showed that the members were actually benefitting from the scheme.
These doctored receipts were used to convince even more people to venture into the lucrative business. Once the new investors gave their contribution; it was used to pay the interest owed to the pioneering members of the lousy scheme. The prosecutor also alleged that Evans used much of the money to pay his personal bills.
This Ponzi scheme commenced in 2004 and by October 2011, the accused had squandered almost all the money invested in the fraudulent project. As per the records of the indictment, only $1,919 was left in Evans’ bank account out of the whole scheme. The money has since been seized by federal agents.
JAMES 5:
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
JOB 20:
12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
13 Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
14 Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
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