A former Tennessee state legislator and his two sons have been charged with multiple counts of wire fraud for allegedly conning more than 300 Christians into buying gold and silver through their financial consulting company, and did so by convincing victims they needed to guard themselves against “mystery Babylon,” a reference to the End Times.
Larry Bates and his sons, Charles “Chuck” Bates and Robert Bates, were indicted this week in Memphis, Tennessee, for using their financial company, First American Monetary Consultants, to sell gold and silver coins and other rare metals to mostly Christian and elderly customers.
According to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, the men, who presented themselves as knowledgeable Christian financial and political advisors, got away with taking people’s money and failing to deliver the promised goods for more than 12 years. The Bates’ alleged victims span numerous states, including Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Vermont, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, and Massachusetts.
“As the indictment alleges, the defendants defrauded unsuspecting victims of more than $18 million by promising to purchase gold and silver coins on their behalf,” U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III said in a Wednesday press release. “Unfortunately, hundreds of these victims never received the coins they purchased…
The post Christian Politician and Sons Allegedly Bilked 300 Believers Out of $18 Million Using End-Times Fear of ‘Mystery Babylon’ appeared first on Trunews:.
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