Bishop Eddie L. Long & Gary Hawkins Linked to Controversial Mortgage Venture that Ripped Off Church Members

Megachurch pastors Eddie L. Long & Gary Hawkins linked to mortgage venture that ripped off congregants and forced them into foreclosure and bankruptcy.

The embattled Bishop Eddie L. Long is in the news again. This time Long and another local megachurch pastor, Gary Hawkins, are linked to a questionable mortgage venture -- Matrix Capital -- being investigated by federal agents, according to CBS Atlanta. Let's see if Long is going to say he's "like David and five stones but hasn't thrown one yet." Hawkins is the senior pastor of Voices of Faith Ministries with churches located in Stone Mountain and Conyers. Yeah, ripping his congregation off at both locations.

The company promised to lower people's mortgages for $1,500 upfront. Police say thousands of homeowners paid Matrix money, but according to investigators, most of them ended up in bankruptcy and losing their homes.So many people trusted Matrix Capital front man Fred Lee because he made promises of lowering people's mortgages in the sanctity of their local church.

CBS Atlanta first tracked down Fred Lee on the campus of New Birth, Bishop Eddie Long's church."You are not licensed, are you?" reporter Wendy Saltzman asked Lee."No not at all. But hold on, stop, stop, stop stop," he said.On Wednesday nights, New Birth is where Lee convinced church members to pay him instead of their mortgages. That is where people started the process that would eventually cost many their homes.

"Where is Eddie Long? Because we would like to talk to him about why he is holding these seminars on his property here," Saltzman asked the security guards at New Birth. "You have to leave the property," the officer responded.The case against Lee is now being investigated by DeKalb County police and the Secret Service. Source: CBS Atlanta

Well, it seems that we get hit with an Eddie L. Long story Fridays or Mondays. You will recall he is now in mediation with four young black men -- Maurice Robinson, Spencer LeGrande, Anthony Flagg and Jamal Parris -- who accused him of sexual coercion. Why is Bishop Long still in the pulpit at Newbirth Missionary Baptist Church? Has he no shame or a conscience?  As for Bishop Hawkins, people need to think twice before giving him and his church their hard-earned money.