HINESVILLE, Ga. () — Several local men have been charged following an investigation into the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America (HOPCC), named “False Profit,” officials reported on Thursday.
A total of eight individuals were apprehended, with seven having connections to Hinesville, Ga. The church’s main office is located in Hinesville at 2540 Airport Road, with additional sites near military installations in Georgia, Washington, Texas, North Carolina, and California.
The indictment claims that the church leader used the name “Rony Denis,” a stolen identity from 1983, to secure U.S. citizenship in 2002. Following this, he established HOPCC and its subsidiary, the House of Prayer Bible Seminary (HOPBS), according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“Denis,” whose age is unknown, has ties to Hinesville and Matinez Georgia along with West Palm Beach, Fla.
The founder face charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud, and providing assistance in filing a false tax return, as per a DOJ spokesperson.
The following men were also named in 26 count indictment:
- Anthony Oloans, 54, of Hinesville, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud
- Joseph Fryar, 51, of Hinesville and Martinez, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud
- Dennis Nostrant, 55, of Hinesville, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud
- Gerard Robertson, 57, of Hinesville, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud
- David Reip, 52, of Hinesville, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud
- Marcus Labat, 42, of Hinesville, charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud
- Omar Garcia, 40, of Palm Bay, Fla., charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud
The eight men are accused of committing a long-running conspiracy to defraud financial institutions since 2004 to current date, officials said.
The indictment asserts that Denis and his associates, as named, exploited military personnel by leveraging their positions to wield significant influence over members, a DOJ representative explained. The group is alleged to recruit military members via churches near bases, enrolling them in HOPBS, and redirecting their Veterans Administration benefits into accounts managed by the church.
“Today’s coordinated arrests of individuals linked to the House of Prayer Christian Churches of America and the House of Prayer Bible Seminary effectively dismantles a deliberate plan to deceive our military service members and veterans of their well-deserved VA benefits,” stated Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor of the Department of Army Criminal Investigative Division’s Southern Field Office.
The defendants are also accused of manipulating members to turn in personal information, get married or divorced per the church leaders choice and to live in rental properties tied to the men.
Leaders within the church also reportedly kept a list of “ex-HOPCC traitors,” and are accused of humiliating members for perceived rule violations and restricting contact with family members who left the church, officials reported.
The FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office are seeking additional victims whose personally identifiable information (PII) may have been misused by HOPCC. If you, your family member or anyone you know has had contact with HOPCC and would like to report a crime, please complete this online questionnaire.
You can read the DOJ’s full press release on the indictment by clicking or tapping here.
