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Bishop Anthony Jinwright, accused last month of tax evasion and fraud, appeared in federal court Tuesday for the first time as a handful of out-of-town pastors and supporters looked on.
Federal prosecutors allege the Charlotte pastor and businessman avoided paying taxes for five years while leading a lavish lifestyle of luxury cars and travel.
Jinwright declined to comment Tuesday. But his lawyer, Ed Hinson, said Jinwright plans to plead not guilty to 14 charges filed by prosecutors last month.
“The last time I checked it wasn't a crime to drive nice cars,” Hinson said in a hallway of the federal courthouse uptown. “He's always made his car payments.”
The pastor heads the Greater Salem City of God church in west Charlotte and Greater Salem at the Lake in Cornelius. A church official said together they draw about 2,000 worshippers. He also owns funeral homes in Charlotte and Pineville.
During the 10-minute hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Cayer set a $100,000 unsecured bond, and Jinwright remained free. But Cayer ruled the pastor could only travel domestically on church business and that he must inform court officials of his schedule ahead of time.
A federal indictment says Jinwright and his wife's spending exceeded the income reported on their joint tax returns from 2001-2006. It alleges five counts of tax evasion, five counts of filing false returns, three counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements to a federal investigator.
The 52-year-old pastor built his congregation over three decades in Charlotte. He has written a book about partnering with the Holy Spirit called “Rise Up: Breaking Free into Anointed Living.” His church Web site advertises a radio show called “The Wright Word,” which airs Sundays at 6:30 a.m.
Jinwright's indictment last month brought mixed reaction from churchgoers and their leaders in Charlotte's African American community.
Nation's Ford Baptist and its pastor, Bishop Phillip Davis, dropped plans last month to host or in any way participate in the annual meeting of a group headed by Jinwright, Pastors Consortium International.
But another pastor, Rev. Ricky Woods of First Baptist-West, delivered a sermon that criticized the news media for what he considered one-sided coverage.
“The press told us of the cars, of the houses, of the perks, but told us nothing of the ministry that has occurred over a 28-year period,” Woods told his congregation on May 3. “We heard nothing of the baptisms, the weddings, the funerals, the hospital visits, the Bible studies, the sermons or the new church that was built since Bishop Jinwright came to Salem.”
Jinwright's own flock has also backed him. During a Sunday service on April 28, hundreds of members of Greater Salem City of God applauded Jinwright.
“Thank you for your love and for your support and for being who you are,” Jinwright said in response. “Real friends can only be made known true and sincerely in the midst of controversy.”
At the courthouse Tuesday, Jinwright was joined by a handful of supporters who said they didn't believe the charges.
J. Gentile Everett, pastor of Mill Branch Baptist Church in Fairmont, said he drove two hours to be at the hearing.
“This is not the man that I know,” he said, referring to the accusations. “It's hard to imagine he's involved with anything inappropriate.”
Everett said Jinwright helped him over the years to become a better preacher: “He always encouraged me to walk the line… That's why I'm so appalled by these charges.”
Staff Writer April Bethea contributed.
