Former Chicago Church of Christ pastor accused of $2M fraud involving church members

A former leader with the Chicago Church of Christ in Illinois is now facing charges of wire fraud and filing false tax statements after federal prosecutors say he convinced several members of the church to invest approximately $2 million into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that never existed.

Pastor Winston Batino, who served as an evangelist at the North Ministry Center of the multisite church, pleaded not guilty to the charges in a court appearance on Monday and was released on bail, according to Fox 32.

If convicted, Batino could spend up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge alone. Court documents cited by the news outlet say the former Chicago Church of Christ leader collected the $2 million from about 40 church members.

Similar charges are leveled against Batino in another civil lawsuit from a plaintiff who said he wired $144,000 to the former church leader to invest in the project.

Chicago Church of Christ did not immediately respond to questions from The Christian Post on Tuesday.

In a statement to Fox 32, the church said they commissioned an independent internal investigation into the claims against Batino after he was fired, and they were corroborated.

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