January 29th, 2019
…to prison that is. Todd Coontz was sentenced to five years in prison and $755,669 in restitution today by US District Judge Robert Conrad, Jr.
In December 2012, TV reporter Jim Bradley of WSOC TV in Charlotte North Carolina asked for our help investigating televangelist Todd Coontz. We were able to help Mr. Bradley in some small ways (click here to see Coontz’s luxury high-rise condo warranty deed titled under Rockwealth International Church).
Bradley’s March 2013 story piqued the interest of IRS investigators and following several years of thorough investigation Coontz was indicted for income tax evasion and falsifying tax returns in June of 2017. A federal jury convicted Coontz on April 5th, 2018 and he has awaited sentencing for almost ten months until today—January 29th, 2019. In announcing the sentence, Judge Conrad chastised Coontz for his “incredible” and “long term disrespect for the law.” Judge Conrad noted Coontz was “relentless,” in the “ways in which Mr. Coontz tried to cheat.”
Trinity Foundation recently submitted a report to the Exempt Organization Division of the IRS recommending that Coontz’s tax exempt status for Rockwealth International Church be revoked (read our entire report here) and also submitted the report to Judge Conrad prior to today’s sentencing.
For more details on his crimes, read the Justice Department’s announcement of Coontz’s conviction, “Federal Jury Convicts Minister of Tax Crimes“
Won’t Coontz get out much sooner than five years on parole? Due to the Sentencing Reform Act, part of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, parole was abolished for federal crimes. Mr. Coontz will have to serve out at least 85% of his sentence—that’s at least four years and three months, but only if he gets time off for good behavior.