New trouble for DuPage County pastor, bond in jeopardy
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CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) -
DuPage County prosecutors want to revoke a former west suburban pastor's bond after a new arrest sparked concerns about his finances.
Howard Richmond of Aurora, whose Life Reach Ministries was evicted from a storefront near the Westfield Fox Valley Mall earlier this year, is due to stand trial June 26 on 2010 charges he bilked followers out of $459,000.
That trial was put on hold after prosecutors charged him with using a similar scheme to obtain a $114,000 check he used in an attempt to pay back rent on the church's leased space.
Richmond showed the person who cut the check a $200,000 deposit slip he claimed would be used to cover the check, according to court documents.
The check to Plaza Square LLC bounced, which negated a deal that would have allowed the church to stay and prompted a civil judge to order the eviction.
The church's name was stripped from the doors and signage in March.
For several months, Life Reach's website has announced "We are moving to a new church location."
Prosecutors recently filed motions seeking to revoke Richmond's bond, and have a hearing to determine the source of any money offered by Richmond to stay out of jail.
Richmond had been free on a $250,000 bond in the original case and $100,000 in the new case.
"The defendant does not appear to have income, outside of his employment as pastor, from legitimate sources to post bail," prosecutors stated in the motion, noting any checks he has received were "converted to cash, and may be available to him for the purposes of bail."
Richmond's attorney has not filed a formal response.
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