Hindu temple hits the auction block

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The property of the Hindu Temple of Georgia was sold to the highest bidder Tuesday at a public foreclosure auction in Gwinnett County.

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Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com, AJC Annamalai Annamalai, also known as Commander Selvam, is the controversial leader of the Hindu Temple of Georgia.

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• Hindu temple files for bankruptcy
• Judge clears way for Hindu Temple foreclosure

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It was unclear who bought the nine-acre property at 5900 Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross following the temple's default on a $2.3 million bank loan. A Gwinnett County court clerk said it typically takes about 30 days for a deed to be recorded after a foreclosure sale occurs.

An attorney for the creditor, Anderson Lakes Properties, did not return several calls Tuesday afternoon.

Lloyd Whitaker, a trustee appointed by a federal bankruptcy judge, said Anderson Lakes had intended to bid on the parcel.

Court documents filed by the trustee this week say the temple's leader and guru, Annamalai Annamalai, has been using the temple to "defeat justice, perpetuate fraud, and to evade contractual and tort responsibilities" since it was set up in 2006.

The trustee's investigation has so far revealed that Annamalai, a citizen of India, applied for a work visa in 2007 under the pretext of working as an accountant for the temple for $40,000 a year. Yet Annamalai's business records list his income at upward of $425,000 last year alone, court documents show. He has never filed federal or state tax returns, and the Internal Revenue Service has launched a criminal investigation into Annamalai's financial dealings.

Financial documents obtained by the trustee also show that Annamalai has funneled money from the temple to other business entities that he controls, to accounts in the names of his wife and two children and to several of his priests. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in temple funds were used pay for the mortgage on Annamalai's million-dollar mansion in Duluth, as well as his luxury vehicles and credit card bills, according to the court record.

The next hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Georgia is set for Monday.