State Inspector General Investigates Baker Pastor

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — State investigators say the pastor of a Baker church used fraudulent documents to pocket tens of thousands of dollars in federal hurricane aid for work that wasn't performed and services that weren't provided.

The report by the office of state Inspector General Stephen B. Street Jr. said Bishop Ricky Sinclair of Miracle Place Church also used people — ordered by the courts to attend a church-affiliated halfway house — to perform work clearing land and building a new home for Sinclair family.

In a prepared statement sent to The Advocate on Wednesday, Sinclair denied any wrongdoing.

Street says Sinclair's fraudulent activities date to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and continued after Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

He says the findings have been referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution.

(Information in the following story is from: The Advocate, http://www.2theadvocate.com)