Oct. 7th Sentencing for NC Black Pastor Anthony Jinwright & Wife Harriet, for Tax Evasion, Delayed

Sentencing delayed for North Carolina Greater Salem City of God church pastor Anthony Jinwright & wife Harriet, on tax evasion charges.

Bishop Anthony Jinwright & Wife Harriet (Praise Charlotte)

So while Bishop Eddie L. Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church are engulfed in the mother of all sex scandals, there are other black pastors literally robbing their congregants blind. One black pastor who fits that description is convicted criminal Bishop Anthony Jinwright, who led the Greater Salem City of God church, with his wife Harriet. Both were found guilty of tax evasion. Jinwright was described as a "respected leader who traveled the country speaking at other churches," by one person during the trial. Really?

He and his wife were con artists who robbed the congregants blind. He was convicted on 13 of 18 charges, including conspiracy and multiple counts of filing false tax returns and tax evasion. The charges carry a maximum of 53 years in prison. He was acquitted on five counts of mail fraud. His wife, on the other had, was convicted on charges that carry a maximum of 20 years in prison. She was acquitted on three counts of tax evasion and six counts of filing false tax returns. She was allowed to remain free until sentencing, which has been delayed.

The couple, who own two Charlotte funeral homes, were accused during trial of failing to report more than $1.8 million in income on their federal tax returns between 2001 and 2007. To show how greedy this man was, he was willing to lie on applications for leases for two BMW cars. According to Q City Metro, during the trial, a former employee of a luxury car dealership testified that Bishop Jinwright had leased two BMW luxury cars for his daughter, Antonae -- one in 2003 and another in 2006 and that his church had leased a 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500 for Jinwright as a pastoral anniversary gift. Even Nelson Adesegha, a former finance administrator who tried to clean the financial mess up at the church was fired. According to Q City Metro, he said he tried to bring expenses in line with income – he cancelled church-issued credit cards for pastors Anthony and Harriet Jinwright. Disgusted yet? There's more.

Adesegha said he told the Jinwrights that they should include money from Anthony Jinwright’s housing allowance and vacation pay in their taxable income. He said he also told the senior pastor that his salary was too high for a church the size of Greater Salem. Even as Greater Salem was running a $1 million deficit, he said, salaries at the church totaled about 70-76 percent of its revenue. Asked by one of the government prosecutors how much Anthony Jinwright was making, Adesegha said: “Based on my analysis, it was close to $1 million.”

The lavish lifestyle continued unchecked. Another church employee, Larry Gandy, testified during the trial that the church had a special bank account used to buy luxury items for the couple. He said some of the items purchased included Louis Vuitton bags, luggage and clothing. According to Q City Metro, he also said the account was used to cover a $1,500-a-month lease payment on a Mercedes-Benz. He also added that during his last four years at the church as a director, once a month he stood during worship service and asked members to each contribute $3 in a special “pastor's aid offering.” That money was put in a separate account.

Anthony Jinwright and his wife, Harriett will not face the judge for sentencing on Oct. 7 as originally planned and it hasn't been rescheduled to-date. Judge Frank Whitney remanded Anthony into custody immediately after the jury verdict on May 3, 2010. He deemed him as an “an economic threat to the safety of the community.” The judge denied Dr. Jinwright’s motion for release in June. The judge said it right, he is an "economic threat to the community." The reality is he isn't the only pastor who fits that description. There are many more like him and the congregations of these churches led by hustlers, must take a stand and say enough is enough. They need to start walking outs, as was the case with the late Bishop Earl Paulk at the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, in metro Atlanta. The membership today is a fraction of what it was in its hey-day. The church even sought to sell the church and move to a smaller location because they could not afford it.

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