San Bernardino Pastor Indicted for $230,000 Wire Fraud Scheme

Terrance Owens Elliott, a 60-year-old pastor from Crestline and former San Bernardino City Council candidate, has been indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud, accused of defrauding friends and a nonprofit organization of over $230,000. From October 2019 to February 2023, Elliott allegedly misrepresented himself as affiliated with the San Bernardino government and police to convince victims, including a friend identified as 'M.C.', to place her inheritance into a trust he managed, claiming it was necessary to preserve her Medicare and Social Security benefits. He opened a bank account for the trust, falsely listing himself as the sole trustee, and misused funds for personal expenses and unauthorized payments to a church. After M.C. passed away, Elliott further deceived another victim into paying for funeral expenses under false pretenses. Elliott's criminal history includes previous convictions for forgery and bad checks, which surfaced during his City Council campaign. He is scheduled for arraignment in federal court following his arrest.