WA pastor charged in $13 million fraud scheme, told congregants God had selected them to invest, called them ‘demonically possessed’ when questioned

Federal prosecutors allege Cristian Popescu, pastor of Kirkland’s Passion for Christ congregation, obtained at least $13 million in investments and loans while diverting millions to personal spending and stock trading.

Popescu, 46, of Bothell, pleaded not guilty on October 13 in federal court in Seattle to 10 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. His trial is scheduled for December 21. According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Popescu used his position as a religious leader to recruit investors for Followone Inc., a Bellevue company he promoted as a global online marketplace and social network.

The indictment, filed October 7, alleges Popescu told prospective investors God had spoken to him and selected them to invest. He also allegedly claimed God had instructed him to reject offers to sell the company and instead use its profits to help the community, particularly children and the elderly.

Prosecutors say investors lost most or all of their money. “Popescu lured investors from his church with fake marketing materials, websites, and expensive offices, and then took their money for his own luxuries and day trading, betraying them financially and faithfully,” Acting US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said.

Beginning no later than July 2015, Popescu allegedly promoted Followone as a platform where users could conduct transactions involving cars, real estate, travel, health care and other products and services.

But prosecutors allege the company’s website could not execute purchases or sales, generated no revenue, and was never close to a public stock exchange listing. The indictment describes how Popescu allegedly populated the website with automobile listings purchased from a commercial database and real estate listings obtained through a broker. Those listings created the appearance of an active marketplace even though no transactions occurred through the site.

Popescu allegedly instructed employees to conceal the source of the automobile listings. He also rented an expensive downtown Bellevue office suite and promoted plans for more than 20 new employees. In reality, prosecutors say, the company employed approximately three people besides Popescu, who worked on webpages that created the illusion of a functioning business.

Some investors were allegedly promised board membership if they invested enough money, with $1 million offered as one threshold. Those who reached the threshold received titles but no financial information, decision-making power, or oversight authority, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors allege Popescu encouraged investors to liquidate retirement accounts and college funds and take out personal or home equity loans. He directed some to move retirement savings through self-directed individual retirement accounts before transferring the money into Followone accounts he controlled.

The indictment also describes an alleged effort to mislead an investment bank into facilitating a $50 million public offering. In October 2019, Popescu allegedly claimed Followone had earned $4.1 million during the first three quarters of the year, despite having generated no revenue. In October 2024, he allegedly sought a $3 million loan from the bank by falsely claiming private investors had committed $50 million. To manufacture the appearance of legitimate business revenue, prosecutors say, Popescu moved Followone money through an intermediary company and shell companies, then directed that it be returned to Followone as payment for services never provided.

An investor website allegedly displayed inflated account values suggesting investors held millions or tens of millions of dollars. At one point, those figures were based on a purported $1.4 billion company valuation. Meanwhile, prosecutors allege Followone stopped paying employees and was evicted owing more than $350,000 in rent.

When investors sought their money back, Popescu allegedly claimed repayment would disrupt an audit or the anticipated Nasdaq listing. When they pressed for information or questioned his representations, he allegedly became angry, invoked his church position and accused them of demonic possession.

The indictment alleges Popescu transferred more than $4.5 million from Followone to his personal bank accounts. It separately describes nearly $900,000 transferred directly to his personal stock trading account and approximately $1 million used to pay personal credit card debt. He also allegedly paid himself more than $1 million in wages between 2017 and 2024 and paid his wife more than $300,000 despite her not being a genuine employee. The transactions underlying the charges include a nearly $1 million investor wire in December 2022 and a $50,000 investor wire on April 30, 2026.

Popescu, a Romanian citizen residing in the United States, was released on electronic monitoring over prosecutors’ objections.