Pastor & Wife Convicted but Fire Official Beats Heat in $7M Scheme
Man of God going to jail in money laundering scam
By BRIAN HAMACHER
Updated 9:30 AM EST, Tue, Nov 24, 2009
A Miami pastor and his wife will be going from the Lord's House to the Big House after the pair were found guilty yesterday in a mortgage fraud scheme connected to a drug trafficking ring.
Garry and Yvonne Souffrant were convicted yesterday in a Miami federal court for their roles in the $7 million money-laundering scam in which the Davie couple helped drug movers buy homes and cars in South Florida, according to the Miami Herald.
The two used their real estate business to act as straw buyers of the properties, and defrauded banks by using mortgage loans to fund the buys.
Garry Souffrant's brother, Gamaliel, a Miami Fire Rescue Captain, was charged in the scheme but acquitted yesterday. Gamaliel Souffrant, 44, is a 19-year veteran of Fire Rescue.
Garry Souffrant was the pastor of God First Ministries in Miami Gardens and worked as a minister with Boca Raton Fire Rescue.
Garry and Yvonne Souffrant, both 33, are facing five to 30 years behind bars. They'll be sentenced on Feb 2.
First Published: Nov 24, 2009 9:18 AM EST
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