A DeKalb County minister and his brother face an April 12 arraignment on charges they sold investments to church members without a securities license.
The Rev. Wiley Jackson, pastor of Gospel Tabernacle Cathedral, and Rodney Jackson were named in an eight-count indictment in December. The indictment says the brothers’ company, Genesis LLC, received at least $12,000 from individuals as far back as 2002 through investment contracts the company was not licensed to issue.
Arraignment had been delayed because two Superior Court judges recused themselves from the case. The judges’ identities and reasons for recusal were not disclosed in court documents.
In another development, Rodney Jackson filed a motion recently to have Denise Majette, a former Congresswoman, removed from the case as his attorney. Jackson’s motion did not say why.
He referred requests for comment to his new attorney, Buckhead lawyer Craig Gillen, who also would not comment on Majette. Gillen said he expects to take over the case by the arraignment date, and he said Rodney Jackson will plead “absolutely not guilty.”
Efforts to reach Majette, Wiley Jackson and Jerome Froelich, another defense attorney in the case, were unsuccessful.
Prosecutors also recently filed an emergency motion for a deposition to preserve the testimony of a material witness. They said the witness is not be able to testify at trial because she is being treated for cancer.
According to the prosecutors’ motion, the witness’ testimony is material because she worked at Gospel Tabernacle for 15 years and is familiar with the Jacksons’ investment company. She has also known the Jacksons for 30 years.
Prosecutors said the witness attended a meeting at which the Rev. Jackson allegedly solicited investors on behalf of Genesis. She accepted payments from Genesis investors and took phone calls from dissatisfied investors when the company did not make scheduled payments, prosecutors said.
The DeKalb district attorney’s office said at least two investors were members of Gospel Tabernacle, which has locations in Atlanta and Stone Mountain. One member gave Genesis $10,000 in 2002 and another gave the company $2,000 the same year. Both lost their money, according to prosecutors.
The indictment said the Jacksons “failed to inform potential investors that there was a risk that they could lose their principle investment,” a necessary warning to ensure investors would not be misled, the indictment said.
Gillen, Rodney Jackson’s new attorney, would not comment on whether Genesis was licenced to sell securities during the period covered by the allegations.
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