A Southern California pastor, Terrance “Tony” Owens Elliott, aged 60, finds himself at the center of a federal investigation that could lead to a staggering 220-year prison sentence. Elliott, most recently associated with The Ship of Zion Church in San Bernardino, was arrested on March 6, 2025, and charged with 11 counts of wire fraud. Federal prosecutors allege that he scammed longtime friends and a nonprofit out of approximately $238,563 through a series of deceptive schemes, leaving a trail of financial devastation among those who trusted him. According to a report from The Christian Post published on March 12, 2025, Elliott’s arrest stems from an 11-count federal grand jury indictment issued on February 26, 2025. The indictment details how the pastor allegedly exploited personal relationships to extract nearly $240,000 from his victims. One notable scheme involved convincing a friend, identified only as “M.C.,” to place her inheritance into a family trust under Elliott’s control. He reportedly assured her that this would protect her Medicare and Social Security benefits, only to siphon off the funds for his own use. KTLA, a Los Angeles-based news outlet, reported on March 7, 2025, that Elliott’s schemes targeted individuals who had known him for years, leveraging their trust in his pastoral and political persona—he had previously run as a political candidate. The scale of the alleged fraud has shocked the community, with losses totaling over $230,000, a figure consistent across multiple reports.