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Bridgeport Pastor Charged With Illegally Selling Church To Himself

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Forget stealing from the collection plate. A Bridgeport pastor is accused of stealing a whole church, according to the Connecticut Post.

A Bridgeport pastor was arrested and charged with forging documents so that he could illegally sell a church to himself for $1, according to the Connecticut Post.

A Bridgeport pastor was arrested and charged with forging documents so that he could illegally sell a church to himself for $1, according to the Connecticut Post.

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Police charged Bishop Franklin L. Fountain with first-degree larceny and second-degree forgery, the Connecticut Post reported. Police told the Connecticut Post that they had received a complaint from the board of directors of the Fountain of Youth Cathedral, as well as Fountain's brother and uncle, that Fountain had forged deed documents and sold the church on Madison Avenue to himself for $1.

The church property on 324 Madison Ave. is valued at $1.5 million, the Connecticut Post reported. City records show Fountain as the owner of the property, according to the Connecticut Post.

The church was founded by Fountain's father in 1960, and Fountain took over as pastor when his father passed away in 2005, according to the Connecticut Post.

Fountain told the Connecticut Post on Wednesday that the charges were ridiculous and that it would all be worked out.

Click here to read the Connecticut Post story.

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