House of Prayer leader indicted on $26M fraud charges, stole identity to gain citizenship: indictment

A federal grand jury has indicted the Georgia-based leader of a multi-location church and seminary and others for their part in allegedly defrauding U.S. taxpayers and veterans of over $26 million. The indictment alleges the leader stole someone's identity in 1983 and became a U.S. citizen before launching the organization in 2002.

The indictments also involve the alleged financial exploitation of military veterans and a pastor's sexual abuse of a minor, as critics and former members have accused the organization of being a cult.

The man known as Rony Denis, founder of the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America, and seven other leaders of the organization face a 26-count federal indictment unsealed last Wednesday in the Southern District of Georgia. The organization has around a dozen locations and spans several states. Its largest congregation is based in Hinesville, Georgia.

Denis' first and last names are unknown. Investigators allege he used a stolen identity to become a U.S. citizen in 2002 before going on to establish HOPCC and its affiliate House of Prayer Bible Seminary (HOPBS).

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