Pastor Charged in Alleged $13 Million Fraud Scheme Targeting Fellow Christians
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Pastors and those who lead churches and congregations are in positions of trust, but for one church in Washington state, federal investigators allege that the pastor used and abused that trust to steal money from church members.
Cristian Popescu, the pastor of the Passion for Christ church in Kirkland, Washington, has been charged in an alleged $13 million fraud scheme, supposedly leveraging his role as pastor and leader to defraud the flock of his care (members of his church).
At 46 years old and a Romanian citizen, Popescu’s charges date back to 2015, when he claimed to own a company called Followone, Inc. According to Popescu, the business was an online marketplace platform that allowed users to buy and sell cars, real estate, healthcare, food, travel and more. The trouble, however, comes in the actual use and accessibility of said platform.
ChurchLeaders reports that the platform was never operational, and Popescu has been accused of convincing more than 30 people to invest. Despite renting a large office space, he only had three employees.
While Popescu agreed that the company wasn’t currently public but was about to be, he’d already earned millions in revenue and reassured users that leading software engineers and developers were working to improve the platform. Prosecutors note that Popescu also published false press releases with misleading information about the company’s success.
The United States Attorney’s Office of Washington adds, “These charges allege that a religious leader abused the trust of his fellow believers to steal millions of dollars for his own personal benefit,” said W. Mike Herrington, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office.
“Cristian Popescu defrauded dozens of his own church members through a series of elaborate lies, including promises of a future stock exchange listing and claims that the profits would benefit the community," he added. "The FBI and our partners will continue to follow the money to unravel these schemes and hold fraudsters accountable.”
“Fraudsters use whatever means they can, including abusing their positions of trust, to swindle those who look to them for guidance and protection," said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office.
Popescu has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His trial is set for Dec. 21, 2026, and the case is currently being investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Photo Credit: ©Vladimir Solomianyi/Unsplash
Originally published October 22, 2026.
