Southern California (Thechieftainspear) – A Southern California pastor has been arrested on allegations of orchestrating wire fraud schemes that defrauded friends and a nonprofit out of more than $230,000.
Terrance Owens Elliott, 60, also known as “Tony Elliott,” was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Elliott, a San Bernardino church pastor and former city council candidate, is accused of deceiving longtime friends and misappropriating funds from a religious nonprofit.
Prosecutors allege that Elliott falsely claimed to have ties to the San Bernardino city government and local police department to gain the trust of his victims. His first known target, identified as “M.C.” in court records, was persuaded to place her inheritance into a trust under Elliott’s control. He allegedly misled her by stating that directly receiving the inheritance would cause her to lose Medicare and Social Security benefits.
Elliott then appointed himself as a co-trustee and opened a bank account in the trust’s name. He allegedly provided a falsified version of the trust agreement to the bank, giving himself sole control over the funds. Authorities say he used the money for personal expenses, including Nike sneakers, a piano, clothing, vehicle repairs, and an extended motorcycle warranty, while also making payments to a church, referred to in court documents as “Church A.”
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In addition, Elliott allegedly accessed M.C.’s account at a different bank and made unauthorized transfers totaling approximately $27,164 from her Social Security benefits to the church. When questioned by M.C.’s family about the trust and its finances, he reportedly reassured them by becoming defensive and insisting that everything was properly managed.
Following M.C.’s death, Elliott allegedly defrauded another victim, “W.H.,” into covering $8,615 in funeral expenses. He falsely claimed he needed court authorization before releasing funds from the trust account, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say Elliott’s fraudulent activities extended beyond these incidents. Between June 2021 and February 2023, he advised W.H. on selling a home and convinced them to loan $65,000 from their corporation to M.C.’s trust, under the pretense that it would help avoid capital gains taxes. Instead, Elliott used the money for personal expenses and never repaid the loan, investigators claim.
Additionally, from 2018 to 2021, Elliott allegedly misrepresented financial obligations involving “Church B” and a nonprofit organization. Prosecutors say he manipulated the church’s board into issuing 32 checks, which he deposited into his own account, fraudulently obtaining approximately $23,300.
In total, authorities estimate Elliott stole approximately $238,563 through these schemes. If convicted on all 11 counts of wire fraud, he faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison per count.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the case and is seeking additional victims who may have been impacted. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact the FBI at 310-477-6565 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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