Pastor found not guilty of alleged scheme with relief funds | News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Memphis pastor rejoiced after a jury found him not guilty in federal court last week.

Stephen Brown was one of several Memphis-area pastors who were at the center of a federal investigation into COVID-19 relief money.

RELATED: Memphis pastors among 10 charged in fraudulent COVID-19 relief schemes, officials say

Pastor Stephen Brown told me the last two years have tested his faith and given him a new testimony.

“Man, it’s been a blur the last two years of our life in ministry. It's fuzzy, but we just tried to keep our foot on the plow, keep moving forward, keep doing what God has called us to do, and knowing that one day He would bring the truth to light. ” Brown said.

Last year, a federal grand jury indicted Brown and nine other Memphis-area residents for alleged schemes to steal thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief money.

Federal prosecutors accused them of fraudulently taking more than $950,000 from federal programs intended to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government accused Brown of fraudulently taking nearly $150,000. After a week of trial and two days of deliberations, a jury found him not guilty.

“When people know you, they know you. And so I've been pastor of this church for 16 years. This year, they know their pastor. That’s the last thing I’m going to do is steal money from the federal government,” Brown said.

Brown says that when his Light of Glory International Church received the money, church leaders decided not to spend the loan money but to keep it just in case problems arose.

“From day one, we've told the federal government that if we get too much money or if we get money we don't deserve, we'll give it back. They didn't want it. And I said, “Well, if I got too much money or a lot of money, I didn't deserve it and I'm trying to give it back.” And you obviously don’t want that, they wanted something else,” Brown said.

Had the jury found Brown guilty of wire fraud, he would have been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

He says with the jury's decision in his favor, he and his church are ready to put this behind them.

“And to this day, you still have the money ready to give every penny we got in loans. We’re able to give him some money back today,” Brown said.