Alleged House of Prayer Christian Church ringleader Rony Denis will remain in jail pending the outcome of his federal trial for bilking veterans out of millions in VA benefits, real estate fraud and filing false tax returns.
The defendant, whom prosecutors contend has gone by the assumed name of Rony Denis since 1983, has been in jail since Sept. 10, when he was arrested at his home in the gated West Lake community.
U.S. Magistrate Brian K. Epps said at the conclusion of Denis’ detention hearing Friday several factors required keeping Denis in custody. One was his allegedly living under a false name and social security number for decades.
As he appeared “out of the mist” many decades ago, when prosecutors said he assumed the identity of another Haitian immigrant, Denis can similarly again “disappear,” Epps said.
Another indicator of his potential to to flee before trial is the defendant’s alleged ability, despite using a false identity, to pocket millions he turned into mansions and luxury cars that authorities have been unable to track, Epps said.
A final factor is Denis’ age – he’s used birth dates in 1959 and 1962 – and the potential maximum penalty for his crimes, Epps said. Any of the charges carry up to a 30 year sentence, and there is no parole in the federal system.
Other risks include Denis’ potential to obstruct justice if released from custody, Epps said. Evidence presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Rhodes indicate he has “so much control” over church members. They allow their names to go on home mortgages even when not allowed to live in the homes, he said.
A group of at least 50 church members haven’t abandoned the flock, despite raids conducted at House of Prayer churches across the country in 2023 and the more recent arrests.
During Denis’ detention hearing, which began last week, as well as the initial appearance hearings of him and other co-defendants, church members have filled the courtroom benches and spilled over into separate viewing rooms.
Friday, about 30 were in the courtroom, the women wearing long hair pulled back and skirts below the knees and the men primarily in navy blue suits.
Rhodes played recorded audio of several of Denis’ phone calls to co-conspirators at the hearing. In one he repeatedly tells defendant Anthony Oloans he has little role in the church or its seminaries, to which prosecutors contend veterans’ GI bill payments were wrongfully diverted.
“I am not involved in a stupid school, the stupid House of Prayer,” he said. “Curse me Christ. I am not the leader.”
