The longtime pastor of an inner-city Connecticut church in the United States of America was busted for allegedly selling the $1.5 million house of worship to himself — for $1.
Bishop Franklin L. Fountain, head of the Fountain of Youth Cathedral in Bridgeport, was charged with first-degree larceny and second-degree forgery after he altered a deed and then sold the property to himself without the board of directors’ OK, the Connecticut Post reported.
Cops said they got a complaint from the board, Fountain’s younger brother James Fountain and his uncle Donald Fountain about the theft and charged Bishop Fountain after an investigation.
Franklin Fountain, 55, a leading member of one of the city’s most prominent African-American families, rejected the charge.
“Isn’t this all ridiculous,” he told the paper after he left Superior Court after being released without bail.
“I am the pastor and I deserve respect and I expect that this will all be worked out.”
He could face more than 20 years behind bars if convicted.
His lawyer, Erroll Skyers, declined immediate comment.
Franklin Fountain took over as pastor of the church after his father, Franklin D. Fountain, died in 2005.
The church, founded in 1960, is located in the city’s tough Hollow neighborhood, and boasts about its strong youth and outreach programs on its website. (New York Post Report)