The guru of a defunct Hindu Temple in Norcross has been embroiled in a battle over his assets in bankruptcy court for the past 20 months. Now he has potentially bigger problems.
His attorney told a federal bankruptcy judge Thursday that he believes Annamalai Annamalai, an India native who also goes by the name "Dr. Commander Selvam," has become the subject of a federal criminal investigation. Federal marshals traveled on April 27 to Dayton, Ohio, to deliver subpoenas to four Hindu priests associated with the temple. They are set appear before a federal grand jury May 17 in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
Annamalai relocated his wife and two children along with his temple to Ohio in June 2010.
His attorney, John Scaccia, asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James E. Massey to temporarily stop proceedings in the bankruptcy case "until the dust settles" in the federal criminal probe. At the very least, Scaccia asked the judge not to draw any adverse inferences about his client's refusal to answer questions or provide documentation about his financial dealings to the bankruptcy trustee. Annamalai invoked his right to self-incrimination because he's "between a rock and a hard place," Scaccia said.
His attorneys believe that the federal investigation was prompted in part because of issues that have arisen in the bankruptcy case.
Massey denied Annamalai's request to stay the case. He granted Annamalai 30 days to try and come to a settlement to repay debtors, including $600,000 allegedly owed to the IRS. Failing that, the judge will weigh whether to dispose of the case by summary judgment or go to trial.
The bankruptcy trustee has accused of Annamalai of funneling more than $1 million from the temple to business entities that he controls and to accounts in the names of his wife, two children and his priests. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in temple funds were used pay 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.
Annamalai wore a navy pinstripe suit instead of his usual white robes to court. After the hearing, he said he never made money for himself, it was all for the temple.
"These guys want to shut my mouth and they want to steal my wealth," Annamalai said. "They think they'll throw the guy into jail, he'll never come out and they'll steal his wealth. But I will fight for my God. I will fight for the truth."
Scaccia said that there is a history of what seems to be malicious prosecution of Annamalai, but he believes Annamalai will be vindicated.
He blamed Annamalai's current troubles on criminal charges filed more than two years ago by the Gwinnett County Police Department. Annamalai was arrested on charges of credit card fraud and practicing medicine without a license in 2008. The charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.
After Annamalai's arrest, banks did not want to loan him money, the temple went bankrupt and some followers drifted away, Scaccia said. Those troubles also forced the guru to relocate his the temple to Dayton.
"That is what is still following me," Annamalai said. "That is why I'm still sitting here."
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