US pastor and wife convicted of defrauding congregation in $2m Nigerian Oil Scheme

A Virginia pastor and his wife have been convicted of defrauding members of their congregation and investors in a $2m Nigerian Oil Scheme

The couple involved in the fraud case is identified as Terry Wayne Millender, 53, a former senior pastor of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, and his wife, Brenda Millender, 57.

According to the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia, they were convicted on Monday by a federal jury of a $2 million fraud scheme.

Court records and evidence presented at the trial revealed that they were founding members of Micro-Enterprise Management Group, a Virginia company that said it was helping poor people in developing countries through providing small, short-term loans to start or expand existing businesses by working with a network of established micro-finance institutions.

Prosecutors said they also helped broker Nigerian oil deals and used investor money to pay for golf trips, a birthday party, and to help purchase a $1.75 million home.

The couple faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when they’re sentenced on March 30.