- Fraud & Scams
- Nov 5, 2026
Pastor Told His Church “God Chose You” To Invest — Feds Say $13 MILLION Vanished
A Kirkland, Washington pastor stands accused of turning his own congregation into investors in a tech company that, according to federal prosecutors, never worked. Cristian Popescu, who leads Passion for Christ, allegedly told church members that God had chosen them to invest in Followone, a Bellevue startup he said was worth $1.4 billion and weeks away from a Nasdaq listing. More than 30 people put in at least $13 million, some of it from retirement accounts, home equity loans and college savings.
Covered here:
Presumption of innocence
How Followone was pitched: the offices, the press releases and the promised IPO What prosecutors say was behind the website The board seats sold for $1 million The fake invoices that made money look like revenue More than $4.5 million moved to the pastor and his family, according to the indictment What investors were told when they asked for their money back The charges, the electronic monitoring order and the December trial date Cristian Popescu has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering and is presumed innocent.
Sources
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington; FBI Seattle; IRS Criminal Investigation; KING 5; KOMO; KIRO 7 / MyNorthwest; The Christian Post; IBTimes; Passion for Christ Church public videos. News footage is used under fair use for news reporting and commentary.
