Megachurch pastor Kirbyjon H. Caldwell sentenced to prison
Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, a Texas megachurch pastor and former spiritual adviser to two US presidents, has been sentenced to six years in prison for bilking investors out of millions of dollars.
Caldwell, who in March 2020 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was the senior pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church, which has about 14,000 members. He’s been a spiritual adviser to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
According to federal prosecutors, Caldwell and Gregory A. Smith, a Shreveport-based investment adviser, used their clout and influence to persuade people to invest about $3.5 million in historical Chinese bonds. The bonds were reportedly issued by the former Republic of China which lost power to the Communist government in 1949. The bonds aren’t recognized by China’s current government and have no investment value.
