Lawsuit Alleges Gospel for Asia Fraudulently Solicited Hundreds of Millions in Donations, Enriched Leader
Gospel for Asia, one of the largest missions agencies based
in the
Gospel for Asia, one of the largest missions agencies based
in the
The lawsuit initiated in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas by the Dallas-based Stanley Law Group, comes just four months after the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability cut ties with the organization last October for violating five of the ECFA's seven core standards.
In the 108-page document acquired by The Christian Post on Tuesday, plaintiffs allege that Gospel for Asia, Yohannan, and other GFA officials misrepresented to donors how, when, and where charitable donations would be spent, and funneled vast amounts of the hundreds of millions of dollars the organization has collected into for-profit businesses and an expensive headquarters.
Matthew and Jennifer Dickson, who are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, charge defendants with violations of RICO and the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, as well as fraud and unjust enrichment.
In 2013, for example, (the most recent year for which audited financial data is available), "GFA worldwide collected around $115,000,000 in donations (more than $90 million from the U.S.), but spent only $14,644,642 on services and relief under GFA's mission to support the poor and needy of India — directly contrary to donor designations and GFA's promises," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit highlights various products and causes marketed to donors such as camels, blankets, motorcycles and "Jesus Wells" to get donors to give money, but the suit argues that little of the money actually goes to the causes, pointing as evidence to "Jesus Wells."
"GFA represents that it constructs 'Jesus Wells' to
provide clean, potable water to underserved villages in
ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്കെതിരായ നീക്കം ഇന്ത്യയിലുണ്ട്. അതിന്റെ ഭാഗമാണോ ഈ കേസ്? യോഹാന്നാനെക്കാള് കൂടുതല് കാശ് മേടിക്കുന്നവര് ഉണ്ടല്ലോ
When Jesus was abused and crucified, most common people thought that God was punishing him for his own mistakes. I am not comparing him to Jesus. He is following his vision God gave him. The amount of money that flowed to India through him and that money used for the developments in India nobody can question. How much money he can use for his personal use? A rich man can see only his wealth being used for others. His enemies must be behind these smear campaigns. None of us are that perfect. Please be careful in judging others. People generally see one side of the picture. We will find the truth on judgement day. I know several that used the service at his hospitals. You can't imagine the effort and dedication in all he has accomplished. For those who sit idle, it is easy to criticize and comment.