Oregon Jury Convicts Real Estate Con Artist On 28 Felony Counts

In Multnomah County, Oregon, The Oregonian reports:

• After nearly 11 days of listening to Corey Jerry Pritchett talk about his innocence -- sometimes for hours at a time -- a Multnomah County jury Thursday found the Gresham pastor guilty of 28 felony counts of swindling low-income people out of an estimated $43,000. Pritchett, 44, represented himself as a successful real-estate investor who would use his clients' money to flip houses, promising 30 percent returns. Or he sold or rented them houses he didn't own. In one case, he sold two people the same house on the same day. Lisa Heinemann, 44, a single mother of five who was about to lose her Southeast Portland house in a foreclosure, testified that Pritchett took $1,000 from her.

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• Many of the victims encountered Pritchett through Craigslist, newspaper ads or by chance. Special prosecutors Simon Whang and Jason Weber said Pritchett told his victims he was a pastor and prayed with them. But investigators found earlier this year that his congregation had dwindled to his immediate family. While wooing clients, he failed to mention that he had filed for bankruptcy five times, had at least 40 civil judgments against him, and owed a few hundred thousand dollars, according to prosecutors.

For more, see Jurors find swindler guilty of 28 felonies (Flipping houses - Corey Jerry Pritchett promised 30 percent returns on real estate) (no longer available online).