Cristian Popescu

Introduction

Cristian Popescu, the 46-year-old pastor of a Kirkland, Washington Christian congregation called “Passion for Christ,” was indicted on ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering in connection with an alleged $13 million scheme that targeted members of his own church. Federal prosecutors say Popescu used his pulpit to recruit more than 30 investors into a fake Bellevue startup — and that when they asked for their money back, he told them they were “demonically possessed.”

Background Information

Popescu lives in Bothell, Washington and is a citizen of Romania residing in the United States. According to the 13-page federal indictment, he founded and served as chief executive of Followone, Inc., a Bellevue company he claimed was building an internet platform that was simultaneously an online global marketplace and a social network, where users could buy and sell “cars, real estate, health care, food, and travel.” He claimed to have twenty employees; prosecutors say there were only three.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Indicted; allegations unadjudicated. Popescu faces a federal grand jury’s indictment — ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; his trial is scheduled for December.

According to the indictment, as early as July 2015 Popescu used “lies and deception” to market Followone to investors, claiming the company earned millions in revenue, was about to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, and had grown the value of shareholder investments. He used his role as pastor to recruit investors from his own congregation, telling them that God had chosen them to invest in the company, that doing so would further the church’s mission, and that their money would remain within Followone and could be withdrawn at any time.

Prosecutors describe elaborate secrecy: Popescu required investors to sign non-disclosure agreements, communicate only through encrypted messaging, turn off their phones, and disable “smart” devices such as Amazon’s Alexa during in-person meetings — tactics that kept victims from cross-checking his claims. He sustained the mirage with his own press releases, false claims of hiring leading software engineers from major companies, and expensive downtown Bellevue office space, while the platform itself was, in the government’s words, a “web of non-functional screens.” At one point he claimed Followone was worth $1.4 billion, when he knew it had little or no value.

The alleged mechanics were straightforward: Popescu told investors a $1 million stake would earn them a board seat, urged them to raid retirement accounts, take out personal or home equity loans, and drain their children’s college savings, and used shell companies and fake invoices to fake business activity. One victim wired nearly $1 million in a single transfer; others invested nearly $600,000 and $500,000. In total, prosecutors allege he obtained at least $13 million from more than 30 investors.

When investors wanted their money back, the indictment says Popescu stalled — claiming repayment would interfere with the stock listing — and when pressed further he invoked his position in the church, became irate, and told the investors they were “demonically possessed.” By then, prosecutors say, the company had been evicted from its offices with more than $350,000 in unpaid rent, while Popescu had transferred over $4.5 million of Followone funds to accounts belonging to himself, his wife, and other family members, paid himself more than $1 million in wages between 2017 and 2024, moved nearly $900,000 to a personal stock-trading account, and put roughly $1 million of company money toward personal credit card debt — all while paying his wife around $300,000 despite her not working a single day for the company.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said: “As alleged in the indictment, this defendant created the mirage of a successful, valuable online marketplace and social media site in one… Popescu lured investors from his church with fake marketing materials, websites, and expensive offices, and then took their money for his own luxuries and day trading, betraying them financially and faithfully.” FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said the charges allege “a religious leader abused the trust of his fellow believers to steal millions of dollars for his own personal benefit,” adding that Popescu “defrauded dozens of his own church members through a series of elaborate lies.” IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle chief, Carrie Nordyke, added that “financial crime is not victimless and often destroys the lives of its victims.” The story drew national coverage, with the New York Post highlighting the “demonically possessed” insult as the scheme’s defining detail.

Current Status

Popescu was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Seattle on October 13, 2026, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered released on electronic monitoring over the objections of prosecutors while awaiting trial. The ten wire fraud counts each carry up to 20 years in prison and the five money laundering counts up to 10 years, with fines of $250,000 on each count. His trial is set for December 21, 2026; the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Wilkinson and investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation. No count has been adjudicated, and no restitution or forfeiture amounts have been publicly detailed.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The case has become a textbook federal prosecution of faith-based affinity fraud: prosecutors allege a pastor converted his congregation’s trust into a $13 million investor pool, then used scripture-flavored pressure (“God had chosen them”), secrecy rituals, and — when victims balked — accusations of demonic possession to keep the money moving. The alleged victims were told to drain retirement accounts and children’s college savings, and the government’s fraud team has framed the case as a warning that it will “follow the money to unravel these schemes” no matter the costume they wear. Whether Popescu still leads Passion for Christ remains publicly unclear as he awaits trial.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, “Pastor of Kirkland, Washington, church indicted on ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering in $13 million fraud scheme,” Oct 13, 2026 — source
• NY Post, “West Coast pastor indicted for $13M fraud on church members,” Oct 14, 2026 — source
• The Christian Post, “Pastor allegedly bilked $13M from parishioners then called them demon-possessed for asking about money,” Oct 14, 2026 — source
• MyNorthwest, “Pastor of Kirkland church indicted for wire fraud, money laundering in connection with $13M scheme,” Oct 13, 2026 — source