TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who told authorities he made $7 billion in illegal transfers from a bank because "Jesus Christ created wealth for everyone" has pleaded guilty to a single charge.
John Haskew of Lakeland pleaded guilty Thursday to making a false statement to the federal government.
The count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Other charges were dropped, per the plea deal.
Prosecutors say the unemployed Haskew needed to pay off a debt to the federal government. To do that, he provided a bank routing number that wasn't his. He subsequently made over 70 transactions worth $7 billion with that routing number.
According to the complaint, Haskew told investigators "he believed he could obtain wealth that Jesus Christ created for him."
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)