By Peter Kennedy
"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat." - 1 Corinthians 5:11
In 1997, during a Sunday service at Christ Christian Home Missionary Baptist Church in Compton, California, Robert Gomez told the congregation his adoptive father had died and left behind a fleet of cars. He said the church members could buy the 16 cars from Gomez and his friend James Nichols for $17,000. Congregants were told the money was a "conveyance fee" of roughly $1,000 to $1,100, each vehicle's estimated title transfer and tax liability. Once the estate cleared probate, the vehicles would be delivered to their new owners. Later that day, church members flocked to give Nichols money orders and cashier's checks.
The problem was there was no “rich adoptive father” or “fleet of cars”. The congregants were the first of 4,000 people to be cheated out of $21 million in the “miracle car scam”. The greedy Gomez and Nichols conned people in numerous states for the next five years.
On June 5, 2003, both men were found guilty of counts of interstate fraud and money laundering. Both were sentenced to prison for more than 20 years.
Christ has called us to love people not to love things. Today in prayer, examine your life and get rid of any greed.
"God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full--there's nowhere for him to put it." - Augustine
God's Word: "Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luke 12:15
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