DUBLIN, GEORGIA: A manhunt is underway for a 45-year-old missionary, who is accused of misdirecting more than $33 million from Christian charities meant to be spent on Bible distribution in China. Jason Gerald Shenk, who is now considered a fugitive, has been indicted on multiple federal charges in connection to an alleged scheme, which was carried out over the course of nine years, according to authorities in his home state of Georgia.
Officials allege that between 2010 and 2019, Shenk misappropriated money from a number of Christian organizations under the pretense that it would be used for Bible distribution. Instead, he spent the money on gambling, personal items like diamonds and precious metals, and his family farm. In July 2022, deputies disclosed the preacher's alleged scheme in documents they filed in the Southern District court of the Peach State. Since the filling, officials have been unable to find Shenk, who can face up to 20 years in prison and 'substantial financial penalties' if convicted.
Who is Jason Shenk?
The 45-year-old Shenk is a former Dublin resident, who lived on a sprawling potato farm that's been in his family for years. He reportedly renounced his US citizenship in 2016. In statement released on Tuesday, August 1, the Southern District of Georgia's U.S. Attorney condemned Shenk's alleged acts as "an egregious breach" of trust and said that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. The statement expanded on the first federal indictment against Shenk, which was released in December and contained three counts of international money laundering and four counts of wire fraud, according to DailyMail.
The statement further exposed some of the Shenk’s outrageous spending including $1 million that the government claimed was spent on diamonds and other precious metals, and $320,000 on Chilean real estate. Officials claimed Shenk diverted more $850,000 towards shares of an unknown, "private US nuclear company," while he spent another $4 million on 16 different life insurance plans. State attorneys added that a further $820,000 was allocated toward the phony missionary's credit card payments and more than $1 million was deposited in an unnamed online sports betting site that has since been shut down for fraud. The indictment provided more information about the alleged measures Shenk allegedly took to hide his activities throughout the alleged scheme.
What are the charges against Jason Shenk?
Prosecutors alleged that Shenk started the alleged scheme in 2010 under the pretense that he would use the funds primarily to produce and distribute Bibles and Christian literature, specifically in China. Through the scheme, he reportedly obtained over $33 million from US charities.
Shenk, 45, got the money from groups and individuals in Ohio and North Carolina.
In order to "conceal the nature of the transactions," Shenk directed the funds to a variety of shell corporations, according to officials. He even sent counterfeit spreadsheets with false information regarding the quantity of bibles delivered to particular Chinese areas. Prosecutors claimed that throughout the scheme, Shenk lied to international banks about his identity and the financial situation of his family.
As a result of the fraud, Shenk is now facing a long list of charges including the four aforementioned counts of wire fraud and international concealment money laundering, as well as 13 additional counts of concealment money laundering, 21 counts of money laundering involving transactions greater than $10,000, and one count of failure to file report of foreign bank account. In connection with those accusations, warrants have been issued for his arrest, which, according to the feds, will probably necessitate extradition given the undefined property he is alleged to presently possess in South America and Santiago.
