Wayne Sherrod Milton, 32, Stone Mountain, GA, was sentenced to 20 years and one month in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $319,856 in restitution. Milton plead guilty on October 21, 2005 to charges of escape from federal prison, conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud, grant fraud and aggravated assault on a Deputy US Marshal.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “This defendant is a dangerous con man and he deserves to be locked up for many years. This case is aggravated by many factors, including the continued mortgage fraud committed by a defendant already serving a mortgage fraud sentence, his escape from federal custody to commit additional crimes, and his aggravated assault on the Deputy US Marshal trying to arrest him. Also disturbing is the fact that this defendant, who pretended to hold a Bachelors of Theology and a Doctorate of Divinity from Georgia universities and pastored several churches, preyed upon those churches and other faith-based organizations in seven states by fraudulently collecting fees they could not afford to loose.”

According to United States Attorney Nahmias and the information presented in court: Milton unlawfully left the federal facility where he was serving time for mortgage fraud to attempt other crimes, including over $20 million in new mortgage fraud involving dozens of residential properties and a church.

According to the indictment on March 22, 2004, Milton caused a coconspirator to incorporate and obtain business licenses for a number of companies including Heritage Holding Corporation and Heritage International Business Group, Inc, with name change to Alpha Holding Corporation, Aaccess Real Estate Properties, LLC, Aaccess Financial Services LLC, Aaccess Insurance Agency, LLC, American Gospel Foundation, Inc., American Gospel Music Network, LLC, Apple Nail Publishing Company, Milton Holding Company, LLC and Pound 4 Pound Modeling Agency, Inc.

Aaccess Real Esate Properties (AREP), one of Milton's companies, offered up to $100,000 per yea to 'rent the credit' of real estate investors, representing that AREP was one of the nation's fastest growing property investment companies which put up closing funds for its investor/borrows and managed the properties purchased until they were resold at a profit.

The indictment details one scenario where Milton has numerous telephone calls with a potential victim, offering the person between $30,000 and $50,000 at closing with Milton's company to manage the property and make all the mortgage payments until the property was sold with additional profit to the borrower. Milton told the potential borrower, who had income of $3,400 per month, that he qualified for the following loans, according to the indictment:

3900 Merriweather Wds, Alpharetta, Georgia $1,400,000

3906 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, Georgia $1,250,000

3234 Andrews Ct, Atlanta, Georgia $1,100,000

3211 Andrews Ct, Atlanta, Georgia $1,100,000

3189 Andrews Ct, Atlanta, Georgia $1,100,000

2192 Broadfield Run, Duluth, Georgia $1,700,000

615 Simmons St., Atlanta, Georgia $159,000

Lots in Antioch Heights, Macon, Georgia $42,000

According to the indictment, Milton attempted to obtain mortgages on the following properties in the name of this potential borrower, with documents bearing his forged signature:

1310 Bernard Street, Atlanta, Georgia

3249 & 3257 Renault Drive, Atlanta, Georgia

399 Belgrade Drive, Atlanta, Georgia

1873 Thompson Street, East Point, Georgia

273 Barfield Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia

1000 Jefferson Street, East Point, Georgia

441 Holderness Street, Atlanta, Georgia

571 Magnolia Street, Atlanta, Georgia

2021 Woodham Way, Atlanta, Georgia

301 Wadley Street, Atlanta, Georgia

2217 Gunstock Drive, Stone Mountain, Georgia

5027 Brownville Road, Power Springs, Georgia

1062 Camilla, Atlanta, Georgia

2358 St. James, Atlanta, Georgia

710 Emily Pl, Atlanta, Georgia

2377 Greenway, Decatur, Georgia

1348 Eason, Atlanta, Georgia

1805 Charleston, Atlanta, Georgia

3669 Clevmont Way, Fulton County, Georgia

2235 Burroughs Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia

671 Rose Street, Atlanta, Georgia

Milton also is alleged to have created pay stubs falsely reflecting that at least four potential borrowers were employed by Center of Faith Church in Decatur, Georgia to allow the potential borrowers to qualify for mortgage loans, including for a loan at 304 Primo Court, Ellenwood, Georgia.

He is further accused of having submitted a proposal to purchase a church at 3936 Rainbow Drive, Decatur, Georgia for $1.6 Million and to have obtained a credit approval letter from Citizens Mortgage Corp for a $2 million mortgage loan on the property based on false qualifying information.

While a federal fugitive, Milton also traveled around Georgia and to other states to defraud churches and other faith-based organizations in Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut, and Illinois by promising to deliver over $200 million in grant funding in exchange for “administrative fees.” Milton “delivered” a number of $25 million counterfeit cashiers checks, while using the money collected from the charitable organizations for personal use including travel with his girlfriend to attend the Stella Awards in California.

When located by the US Marshal Service in Pelham, Georgia, Milton tried to run over a Deputy U.S. Marshal with his car while fleeing at speeds up to 100 mph through downtown Pelham, around farmyards, down dirt roads and across a cotton field where he was finally apprehended.