Michael Winans Jr. Arrested for Running a Ponzi Scheme on Church Folk (video)

September 13, 2012 The Church Lady
"Michael Winans Jr."

thechurchladyblogs.com

Michael Winans Jr., Arrested for running  a Ponzi Scheme on  Church Folk, say it ain’t so !!!

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -

Michael Winans Jr. a  member of the Winans gospel-music family has been charged with fraud in an $8 million scam involving bogus bonds.

About Michael Winans Jr:

Michael Winans Jr. (Mike)  is the son of Gospel performer Michael Winans (a member of the legendary Winans group).  Mike first came to the public’s attention as part of the teen gospel group, Winans Phase 2.  The third recording generation of the Winans family, Winans Phase 2 took the Gospel world by storm with their 1999 debut, We Got Next.

Music and performing have been apart of Mike Winans’ life since his birth. Being born in Glendale, California three days after his dad, Michael Winans Sr., won his first Grammy Award (1982) was a sign that Mike was headed for a life of musical excellence. Mike’s musical career began during his freshman year of high school singing and writing songs for the gospel and concert choirs at Martin Luther King Jr. high school. During his junior year, Mike along with his cousins Marvin Jr., Carvin Jr., and Juan formed the gospel group, Winans Phase 2 and signed a major recording deal with Word/Sony Records. Winans’ Phase 2 toured the world and achieved many accolades including a “Best New Gospel Artist” nomination at the 1999 Grammy Awards. In 2000, Mike decided it was time to charter a new territory, so he attended Schoolcraft College (Livonia, MI) with a major in Business Administration. After graduating from Schoolcraft College, Mike started his own music publishing company; Baby Mike Music Publishing Co. Baby Mike Music seemed to experience success practically from its conception. Through his company, Mike has had the pleasure of writing and producing songs for some of the top names in R&B music including New Edition, Avant, Diddy, Chris Brown, Danity Kane, Day 26, B5, Case, Michelle Williams and Mario Winans just to name a few. Mike has produced music on 5 Billboard #1 albums and 4 platinum albums so far in his music career.

Federal prosecutors in Detroit filed the charge this week against Michael Winans Jr. His attorney, William Hatchett, said Thursday that a guilty plea is expected at an undetermined date.

The government says Winans knew the Saudi Arabian oil bonds weren’t real, but he continued to accept money from more than 1,000 investors in 2007 and 2008. The court document says Winans recycled the money among investors and also used cash for his personal use.

State regulators in 2010 said Winans used connections in Detroit churches to lure investors.

Update 10/5/2012:
Michael Winans Jr. Plead guilty to the crime and will be sentenced in February, 2013. He faces 30 years in prison. (SMH)

Watch the Fox investigation of  the Michael Winans Jr. Ponzi Scheme below:

Fox 2 News Headlines
Source

Source

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  • soundtheshoffar

    when will black people realize that THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ITSELF IS A BIG
    OLD PONZI SCHEME AND STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY TO YOUR PIE IN THE SKY
    DREAMS OF GIVE A LITTLE GET ALOT IN RETURN? If it would have worked
    EVERYONE WOULD BE PRAISING THIS MAN , ITS HYPOCRITCAL AND WRONG . IF
    YOU READ YOUR BIBLES AND STOP LISTENING TO PREACHA YOU WOULD NOT BE
    GIVING A DIME TO ANY GENERAL OFFERING MUCH LESS THIS SCHEME. WAKE UP
    PEOPLE YOU’VE BEEN HAD .

  • soundtheshoffar

    when will black people realize that THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ITSELF IS A BIG OLD PONZI SCHEME AND STOP GIVING YOUR MONEY TO YOUR PIE IN THE SKY DREAMS OF GIVE A LITTLE GET ALOT IN RETURN? If it would have worked EVERYONE WOULD BE PRAISING THIS MAN , ITS HYPOCRITCAL AND WRONG . IF YOU READ YOUR BIBLES AND STOP LISTENING TO PREACHA YOU WOULD NOT BE GIVING A DIME TO ANY GENERAL OFFERING MUCH LESS THIS SCHEME. WAKE UP PEOPLE YOU’VE BEEN HAD .

  • Pingback: The Church Lady BlogsMichael Winans Jr. speaks out about ponzi scheme conviction » The Church Lady Blogs

  • evelay

    THAT IS TRUE, PEOPLE SHOULD GET INFORMED AND STOP BELIEVEING EVERY THING THAT COMES OUT OF THE PREACHERS MOUTH;

    “MY PEOPLE WILL PERISH FOR A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE”

    PEOPLE WE NEED TO WAKE UP; KURT FRANKLIN IS ADVERTISING THE KINGS TOUR, HOWEVER IT APPEARS THAT IT IS A KINGS TOUR ALRIGHT, BUT A KING OF WHAT????

    WHAT QUALIFIES THEM TO BE KINGS………PL.EASE TELL ME???

    WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?????
    WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH ON THIS TOUR??????
    ARE YOU OUT TO BRING SOULS TO CHRIST?????
    WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?
    I personally, don’t get good vibes from this tour, and I am not moved by the participants of this tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    NO I DON’T WANT TO SEE IT, HEAR IT OR BE A PART OF IT!!!!!!!!!!

  • evelay

    IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF WHAT IS TO COME!!!!
    IT APPEARS THAT THE GOSPEL FIELD IS FULL OF OF SURPRISES. IT APPEARS THAT THE PEOPLE ARE OUT TO MAKE MONEY AND DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE EXCEPT;

    YOU HAVE GOSPEL SINGERS THAT SAYS THAT THEY LOVE THE LORD AND IS SINGING TO BRING SOULS TO CHRIST, HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT THEY ARE BRINGING SOULS TO CHRIST FOR A BUCK!!!!!

    IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE NOT ANY TRUE, REAL, GOD LOVING ARTISTS IN THE SINGING INDUSTRY, AND IT APPEARS THAT THE INDUSTRY IS GETTING A REALLY BAD NAME AND IT IS LOSING IT CREDIBILITY.

    WE NEED TO DO MORE ARTICLES ON SINGERS, MINISTERS, AND PREACHERS THAT HAVE GONE BAD!!!!!!

    MONEY HAS TAKEN OVER AND IT APPEARS TO BE THE ROOT FOR ALL IN THIS INDUSTRY!!!!!!!

    NO REAL CHURCH ANYMORE, ENTIRE ORDER OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED, AND IT NOT ENJOYABLE TO GO TO THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP ANYMORE, FOR IT ALL APPEARS TO BE A SCAM!!!!!

    BUT WE WILL ALL KNOW SOON WHO ARE THE PHONY ONES AND WHO, IF ANY OR THE REAL ONES……..RIGHT NOW, THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY APPEARS TO BE INFESTED WITH SIN!!!!!!

    • I am for real

      IT IS ASHAME TO KNOW THAT THEIR ARE SO-CALLED MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL IS SCHEMING PARISHIONERS DAILY,AND DO YOU KNOW THESE SAME PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS IN FRONT OF GOD ON THEIR JUDGEMENT DAY,AND GOD IS THE ONLY PERSON THEY HAVE TO ANSWER TO,AND HE WILL DETERMINE IF THEY WERE GOOD,AND A FAITHFUL SERVANT IN HIS SIGHT,AND THAT IS SOMETHING TO TAKE IN CONSIDERATION WHEN YOU ARE BEING CROOKED WITH GOD’S PEOPLE,AND IT IS SOMETHING YOU DO NOT DO WITH GOD’S CHILDREN, BECAUSE YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW!

    • http://. miss

      That’s why you have to have a personal relationship with God, you can’t focus on people, because they will throw you off everytime and make you think just the way the devil got some of you all thinking and talking. you can not say that everyone is not right for what some people choose to do. I am a christian and I know many true men and women of God that live according to the word of God. Of course you’ll find that there are people who are not what they say, yes there are people who claim to be christians, but their life shows something different. In the ministry of music, namely gospel, you have all types of people to get in a studio and sing something and label it gospel WITH a filthy unclean spirit and I am not talking about true and clean gospel artists, but those that are not. Satan was over the ministry of music before he decided that he wanted to be more than God and he still in his world rule in music and that’s why we have to be very careful when it comes to music because all music is not clean music because of the spirit behind it, I don’t care who is singing it and what their status is. It’s sad what happened concerning Micheal W. jr but we can’t look at him as “The Winans”, he is one person and it’s not right for the wrong choice that he made to be put on his family name as a whole. Just because his father, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are saved that doesn’t automatically make him saved because he’s part of the Winans family. People need to stop being so judgemental when it comes to the things of God and his people. just like MWJ needs to get saved so do those who have so much to say about what they don’t understand.

  • TONEE

    There is no doubt that the most gullible people are Christians! They come to church to be blessed with money and hear wonderful sermons on how God is going to bless them with more.Anything that looks like prosperty sells in churches!

    • http://. miss

      I’d rather be gullible when it comes to the word of God then to be gullible when it come to the things of satan. We the people of God don’t go to church to get money, yes we do go to get the word of God, so that we may be blessed and be a blessing to others. I feel bad for people who think that way, and I thank God for placing a true man and woman of God in my life. It’s truly sad that the unclean lifestyle of some so called pastors have caused people to lose all hope and faith in the one place that sooner or later they are going to wish they had chosen sooner and that is the church a.k.a the body of christ.

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