In an indictment returned on February 26 by a grand jury, Terrance Owens Elliott, a pastor from Southern California, was charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office revealed. Known as "Tony Elliott" and formerly a political candidate for San Bernardino City Council, the 60-year-old from Crestline is accused of engaging in fraudulent schemes that defrauded friends and a nonprofit corporation of more than $230,000.
The schemes allegedly ran from 2019 through 2023, with Elliott representing himself as an employee of the San Bernardino city government and falsely asserting his involvement with the San Bernardino Police Department, according to KTLA. The victims were persuaded to entrust their money to Elliott, who misrepresented information about potential tax penalties and claimed that one victim, referred to as "M.C.," would lose their Medicare and Social Security benefits if they directly received an inheritance
Elliott utilized his position to manipulate a friend, identified only as "M.C.," into putting her inheritance into a trust he would manage. He prepared a false trust agreement and used it to open a bank account, only for him to redirect the funds for personal expenses, such as buying Nike sneakers and a piano, along with making unauthorized transfers of M.C.'s Social Security payments, the Justice Department stated.
After the death of M.C., Elliott continued his scheme by deceiving another victim, "W.H.," into loaning $65,000 from their corporation to the trust. Misleading W.H., he claimed it would aid in avoiding capital gains tax on a property sale, but the funds were misappropriated again for personal use, as per the federal indictment. In dealings with a nonprofit and a separate church referred to as "Church B," Elliott fabricated debts and pocketed approximately $23,300 by directing the nonprofit to issue checks to W.H.'s corporation, which he then controlled.
The severity of Elliott's alleged actions could land him a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted, yet an indictment is not a conviction, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is still under the watch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as there is a belief there may be more undiscovered victims. Anyone with information on the case is urged to reach out to the FBI at 310-477-6565 or online at tips.fbi.gov.
