Greater Ministries International

{{Short description|American Christian-based fraud (1993–1999)}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Greater Ministries International

| logo =

| type = Evangelical ministry

| foundation = 1993, Tampa, Florida, U.S.

| location = Tampa, Florida

| key_people = Gerald Payne, Director

| industry = Religion

| num_employees =

| products =

| revenue =

| net_income =

| homepage =

}}

Greater Ministries International was an Evangelical Christian ministry that ran a Ponzi scheme in an affinity fraud that had taken nearly 500 million dollars from 18,000 people by the time it was shut down by federal authorities in August 1999.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Victims of church scam unlikely to recover losses |url=http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20020714/victims-of-church-scam-unlikely-to-recover-losses |access-date=6 June 2018 |work=Sarasota Herald |date=14 July 2002 |location=Tampa |language=en}} Headed by Gerald Payne in Tampa, Florida, the ministry bribed church leaders around the United States.{{cite news | url=http://www.adl.org/Learn/ext_us/GMI.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=3&item=gmi | title=Extremism in America: Greater Ministries International | publisher=Anti-Defamation League | date=2007 | access-date=2007-07-18 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808004431/http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/GMI.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=3&item=gmi | archive-date=2007-08-08 }} Payne and other church elders promised the church members double their money back in 17 months or fewer, citing Biblical scripture.{{cite news |last1=ZOLL |first1=RACHEL |title=FOXNews.com - Religion-Related Fraud Getting Worse |url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2006Aug13/0,4675,FleecingtheFaithful,00.html |access-date=6 June 2018 |work=www.foxnews.com |agency=The Associated Press. |date=August 13, 2006}}{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1999/federal-officials-charge-florida-based-antigovernment-greater-ministries-actually-criminal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815122455/https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1999/federal-officials-charge-florida-based-antigovernment-greater-ministries-actually-criminal |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 15, 2017 |title=Federal Officials Charge that Florida-Based, Antigovernment Greater Ministries is Actually a Criminal Fraud - Southern Poverty Law Center |author= |date=June 15, 1999 |website=splcenter.org |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) |access-date=July 2, 2019 |quote=..."nobody's lost a dime in nine years, and we double everything." ..."It's not our money, it's God's, but we know how to make it, and we know how to give it out so people give gifts to our ministry and we give it back to them double." ...Prosecutors say that beginning around March 1993, Greater's leaders promised their victims that they would double their money in 17 months or less}} However, nearly all the money was lost and hidden away.{{cite news |title=Greater Ministries International |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2012/07/31/Evidence:-Greater-Ministries-International.html |access-date=6 June 2018 |work=CNBC |publisher=CNBC LLC |date=31 July 2012}} Church leaders received prison sentences ranging from 12{{frac|1|2}} years to 27 years.{{cite magazine |last1=Rawlings |first1=Nate |title=Top 10 Swindlers |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2104982_2104983_2105004,00.html |access-date=6 June 2018 |magazine=Time |publisher=Time Inc. |date=7 March 2012}}

The group had ties to Stayton, Oregon-based Embassy of Heaven, run by Glen Stoll, which was later closed by the Justice Department.{{cite news | url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/212422_corpsole17.html| title=Two Snohomish County men accused of anti-tax scheme |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | date=February 17, 2005 | access-date = 2007-02-04 | first1=Candace | last1=Heckman}}

Their group founded a newspaper, the "Greater Bible College" in Tampa, a line of "Greater Live" herbal remedies, cancer treatments ("We actually pull the cancer right out of your stomach", Payne claimed.), a supplement called "Beta 1, 3rd Glucan" (to survive "end-times plagues",) and plans for "Greater Lands", an independent country (an "Ecclesiastical Domain ... similar to the Vatican") where other governments would have no jurisdiction.{{cite web |title=Federal Officials Charge that Florida-Based, Antigovernment Greater Ministries is Actually a Criminal Fraud |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1999/federal-officials-charge-florida-based-antigovernment-greater-ministries-actually-criminal |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=6 June 2018 |language=en |date=15 June 1999}}