Church pastor, wife, convicted of fraud

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Virginia pastor and his wife have been convicted of defrauding members of their congregation and investors in a Nigerian oil scheme.

Fifty-three-year-old Terry Wayne Millender and 57-year-old Brenda Millender were convicted by a federal jury Monday of a $2 million fraud scheme, according to the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Terry Millender is the former senior pastor of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria.

Prosecutors said the couple recruited investors for companies they said provided small loans to poor people in developing countries and helped broker Nigerian oil deals. Prosecutors said the Millenders used investor money to pay for golf trips, a birthday party, and to help purchase a $1.75 million home.

The Millenders are set to be sentenced in March.