New Orleans Pastor Charged with Money Laundering
The pastor of a New Orleans church has been charged with money laundering.
Main photo: Rev. Charles J. Southall III / YouTube screenshot
According to court documents, the charge relates to the electronic transfer of approximately $100,000 from a bank account to an individual investment account in Rev. Charles Southall III’s name.
Court documents did not speculate where the money may have come from but called for Rev. Southall to forfeit approximately $100,000 held in a J.P. Morgan investment account as well as a 2017 Mercedes Benz sedan.
The charging document shows the transfer occurred in March 2020, around the time several executives of a defunct bank with which Southall had connections were indicted for fraud.
In addition to being the pastor of the First Emanuel Baptist Church in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Rev. Southall is a businessman who has been involved in real estate transactions across the city. He also was a frequent customer at First NBC Bank, which was closed by regulators for mismanagement in 2017, according to The Lens, a publication that covers New Orleans.
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In 2020, several of the bank’s executives, including former CEO Ashton Ryan, were indicted for fraud. A 2021 court filing alleges that Ryan improperly funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank to “Borrower L,” described as a “reverend” who was a partner with Ryan in a real estate business called Universal Pro-Vision and who operated a mortuary in one of the company’s buildings, The Lens reported.
According to court documents, Southall was involved with Ryan in Universal Pro-Vision and also operated a mortuary at a location the company owned.
Ryan’s trial is set for January 2023. Federal prosecutors have said Southall’s connection with the bank will be part of their case.
Ryan and Southall also were both involved with a charter elementary school in the New Orleans school district that was eventually closed due to academic and financial problems.
Southall faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
