Vallejo pastor sentenced for fleecing flock

A former Vallejo pastor who fleeced members of his own congregation out of around $1 million was sentenced to 23 years and eight months in prison Friday, the state attorney general announced.

When serving as a pastor for a church in Vallejo, Luther Feltus-Curry “took advantage of his position of trust” to defraud congregants, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

In February, a jury found Feltus-Curry guilty of 27 felony counts of theft and securities fraud and co-conspirator Alma Perez guilty of 11 felony counts.

Feltus-Curry created shell companies from 2008 to 2012 to package investments, promising victims high returns, Becerra said. Instead, the victims’ money was deposited into accounts controlled by Perez, according to the attorney general.

Perez transferred the money back to Feltus-Curry and the two used nearly $900,000 of the victims’ money on personal investments and get-rich-quick schemes, Becerra said.

Earlier this year, Perez was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for her role in the scheme, Becerra said.