Spiritual advisor to Barack Obama and George W. Bush sentenced to 6 years for multi-million dollar China bonds fraud
The spiritual advisor for both Barack Obama and George W. Bush during their time as President has been sentenced to six years for his role in a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.
Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, 67, was sentenced by US District Judge S. Maurice Hicks on Wednesday in Shreveport, Louisiana where he and his co-defendant, Gregory Alan Smith, were indicted in 2018.
Caldwell was formerly the Senior Pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, a mega-church in his native Houston, Texas, which has around 14,000 members, the Associated Press reported.
According to the New York Times, he spoke at the 2000 Republican National Convention, delivered the benediction at Bush's 2005 inauguration, and officiated his daughter Jenna's wedding in 2008.
Caldwell supported Obama's 2008 presidential run and was part of a group of Christian pastors who would pray with him as well as being on his healthy fatherhood and family task force, the NYT added.
Through Smith, a 55-year-old, Shreveport-based investment advisor, he began using his influence to persuade people to invest in historical Chinese bonds in early 2013, the Associated Press added.
They were told that they would gain partial bond ownership and would very quickly receive large returns on their investments.
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