MIAMI – A South Florida pastor accused of exploiting an elderly man and a newlywed couple remains behind bars Wednesday after his arrest a day earlier on five felony charges.
Eric Readon, 46, of the New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, has been the subject of numerous Local 10 News investigations.
Prosecutors announced his arrest Tuesday, saying Readon claimed he would help get the victims a loan only to end up stealing from them.
After an initial court appearance Tuesday, Readon was supposed to appear before a judge again Wednesday but his hearing was reset for Friday.
He’s being held on a $42,500 bond and won’t be able to post bail until he can prove his money comes from a legitimate source.
“He really deserved what he’s getting because he caused a lot of pressure and a lot of pain on myself,” Edward Fuller, one of the victims of the alleged crimes, told Local 10 News on Tuesday.
Fuller, 76, said he has waited years for this day. Local 10 News began reporting on his case back in 2017.
Prosecutors say Readon stole the retired Fuller’s dream home on Northwest 19th Avenue in Miami by tricking him into signing a quit claim deed under a corporation tied to the church.
Authorities say Fuller lost more than $267,000 to Readon, his life savings and his home.
“I’m having a personal problem since this man did what he did,” Fuller said.
Prosecutors say Readon exploited his title as a pastor to gain his victims’ trust.
“You think about a man of faith and you think you’re dealing with a man of God and no one like that would ever do anything like that,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Tuesday. “So there might have been an extra built-in vulnerability for Mr. Fuller.
After selling Fuller’s home, investigators say Readon duped a newly married couple out of about $3,000 in a fraudulent rent-to-buy scheme for that same property.
Readon has consistently dodged questions from Local 10 News and filed a $50 million defamation suit against WPLG, which was later thrown out of court.
Last year Readon was ordered to pay the station more than $70,000 after losing his appeal.
Readon’s full charges (according to Miami-Dade state attorney):
- 1 count of Exploitation of an Elderly or Disabled Person - 1st-degree felony
- 1 count of Organized Scheme to Defraud - 1st-degree felony
- 1 count of Conspiracy to Commit Organized Scheme to Defraud - 2nd-degree felony
- 1 count of Theft from a Person 65 Years or Older - 1st-degree felony
- 1 count of Grand Theft - 3rd-degree felony
Local 10 News reporter Terrell Forney contributed to this report.