Oh My, Another One

"Greed is a vice that makes normally rational people act irrationally.  It plays exceedingly well into the old maxim 'If it looks too good to be true it usually is'.  This case proves that both theories are alive and well."  Justice Harrison Arrell

The pastor/founder of Dominion World Outreach Ministries located in Toronto, and just incidentally also a founder of Fight for Justice, a group whose purpose is to improve the lives of the African-Canadian community has turned out not to be the fount of honest deliverance to his faithful followers he portayed himself as.  Pastor Marlon Gary Hibbert is obviously a man of many parts.

Held in very high esteem as a man of the cloth.  A man dedicated to battling racism and poverty of the spirit.  A busily involved man who looked to other avenues to support his passion for involvement in the lives of those who entrusted their spiritual well-being to him.  He obviously felt he could exploit their trust for the opportunity to manipulate their finances as well as their souls.  His ambitions encompassed both the spiritual and the material alike.

He hadn't, as it happened, to work too hard to persuade the faithful that as a "man of God", he would be good to his word.  And as his word would have it, he had the intellectual wherewithal and finance experience to wisely invest the savings of some of his notable parishioners.  Guaranteeing them a respectable return on their savings invested with him.  So from 2006 to 2008 millions of dollars were handed to him for investment.

Largely through word of mouth among the members of the church.  His own relatives were not spared, nor were fellow pastors, even one in his own church.  Who trusted him because he was a "man of God", like themselves.  All the victims, in fact, claimed they believed their money was in safe hands because Mr. Hibbert was a pastor.  Judge Arrell's response to that was a snort of "stupidity".

Those who were taken by Pastor Hibbert wept as they testified at the Ontario court and the Ontario Securities Commission, speaking movingly of the difficulties they now face as a result of their lost savings.  In total Mr. Hibbert bilked those investors out of over $8.2-million.  Gone now, without much of a trace.  A moral victory came through on the judge's order that Mr. Hibbert pay his victims $100,000 in legal fees.

The Ontario Superior Court judge declared the pastor to be a liar, fraudster and a cheat.  Not much comfort to those who were trusting of him and who are now bereft of their life savings.  He was ordered previously to pay back the money invested - along with the 5% monthly in guaranteed interest.  "As a result of his actions the plaintiffs lost all they invested with him", stated Judge Arrell.

The Ontario Securities Commission gave the total loss for over 200 investors as $8.2-million in principle, over $13-million in promised interest.  "The defendant testified that he was simply a bad bookkeeper and businessman; that he had sloppy business and accounting practices; and that he was the victim of world-wide financial markets gone awry.  I disagree", wrote Judge Arrell.

Scant comfort to the afflicted, unfortunately.  Adding to their misery the fact that the pastor's wife sold their palatial home, the only remaining asset: "It is significant to this court that it learned after the trial that during it she listed and sold the home in question.  Such conduct is outrageous and worthy of sanction.  The fraudulent conveyance was a significant and important part of this litigation as the only remaining asset of the defendants would appear to be this house."

The plaintiffs remain disconsolate and bereft, residing in a shared metaphorical House of Misery.