A Washington pastor allegedly swindled his church members out of $13 million, then called them ‘demonically possessed’ when they asked for it back

Cristian Popescu, a 46-year-old pastor from Bothell, Washington, faces serious federal charges after allegedly defrauding members of his own church, Passion for Christ, out of $13 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced the indictment, detailing a long-running scheme that allegedly funneled millions into the personal accounts of the pastor and his family.

As reported by the NY Post, Popescu stands accused of ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. He was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Seattle and has since been released under electronic monitoring. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for each money laundering count, alongside a potential $250,000 fine. The trial is currently scheduled for later.

The alleged scam dates back to 2015 and centered on a startup called Followone, Inc. Based in Bellevue, this company was presented to church members as a revolutionary e-commerce giant and social network. Popescu reportedly convinced his congregation that God had specifically chosen them to provide the funding for this business. 

One victim reportedly transferred nearly $1 million

To lure in investors, he allegedly fabricated claims regarding millions in revenue, rapid stock growth, and an upcoming Nasdaq IPO. Prosecutors describe a much bleaker reality, noting that the supposed platform was actually just a non-functional web of dummy screens.

Federal investigators say Popescu frequently pressured his victims to empty their retirement accounts and college savings funds to participate in his vision. He allegedly offered board positions to those who could invest $1 million. One victim reportedly transferred nearly $1 million in a single transaction, while others contributed as much as $600,000 or $500,000.

“At one point, Popescu claimed Followone Inc had a value of $1.4 billion, when he knew it had little or no value,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The financial trail reveals a blatant misuse of funds. Prosecutors believe Popescu used shell companies to create the illusion of a booming business, but he was actually just moving investor money through these entities to pay fake invoices and line his own pockets. 

More than $4.5 million was reportedly funneled directly into accounts belonging to Popescu, his wife, and other family members. Between 2017 and 2024, he allegedly paid himself over $1 million in wages. He even placed his wife on the company payroll for approximately $300,000, despite the fact that she never performed any work for the business.

The most disturbing aspect of this case is how the pastor responded when his victims began asking for their money back. Rather than addressing their concerns, Popescu allegedly told the investors that “they were demonically possessed.” While speaking about this incident, W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, said, “These charges allege that a religious leader abused the trust of his fellow believers to steal millions of dollars for his own personal benefit.”