COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – Early Wednesday morning, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the FBI on a raid.

It happened at 3816 Honors Way in the West Lake subdivision.

The Department of Justice reports that a federal grand jury in Georgia’s Southern District has charged eight individuals in connection with several fraud and tax evasion schemes.

The eight individuals who have been indicted on Sept. 10, 2025 are listed as follows:

• FNU LNU (First Name Unknown, Last Name Unknown) aka Rony Denis, age unknown, of Hinesville, Georgia, West Palm Beach Florida, and Martinez, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, and Aiding and Assisting in Filing a False Tax Return.
• Anthony Oloans, 54, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
• Joseph Fryar, 51, of Hinesville, Georgia and Martinez, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
• Dennis Nostrant, 55, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
• Gerad Robertson, 57, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
• David Reip, 52, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Bank Fraud.
• Marcus Labat, 42, of Hinesville, Georgia, with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud.
• Omar Garcia, 40, of Palm Bay, Florida, with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud.
• Bernadel Semexant, 35, of Hinesville and Savannah, Georgia, with Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography.

Rony Denis, founder of the House of Prayer Christian Churches, was detained on September 10, 2025, and is currently held in the Jefferson County Jail. He faces charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aiding in the submission of a fraudulent tax return, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to the DOJ, Denis allegedly used a stolen identity from 1983 to become a U.S. citizen in 2002, subsequently founding the HOPCC and its network, the House of Prayer Bible Seminary (HOPBS).

The indictment alleges that Denis, alongside seven others considered his “close associates,” utilized their leadership roles to excessively control church members. This included mandating the submission of personal details, coercing congregants into arranged marriages and divorces by church officials, and housing people on properties linked to the defendants for rental profit.

In June 2022, the FBI raided the House of Prayer churches in Hinesville and Hephzibah as part of a fraud investigation.

The church seminary is accused of submitting false claims to the VA for veterans education and housing benefits.

A news conference previously scheduled for Thursday at 1:00 p.m. has since been cancelled.

We are working to learn more information as this is a developing story.