Pastor, Miracle Mansion Creator Found Guilty on Two Counts of Fraud

A federal jury in Charlotte, N.C., convicted Michael Mandel Baldwin, 53, of Alexandria, Virginia, for defrauding investors of more than $800,000 in an investment scheme.

Baldwin was indicted last year, while working as an assistant pastor and musical director for a church in Northern Virginia. In addition, he was CEO of Miracle Mansion.

Seeking out funds, Baldwin lied about the activity and success of Miracle Mansion to local church members and others throughout the U.S., including Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia.

Baldwin made deceptive promotional material and distributed it to potential investors. The materials described Miracle Mansion as a “one-of-a-kind entertainment complex” that would reshape the face of family entertainment by promoting “family-focused inspiration, entertainment and enrichment anchored by a Biblical worldview.”

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Dena King gave the guilty verdict, calling Baldwin’s Miracle Mansion “a house of lies.”

Baldwin regularly claimed The Kennedy Center and high-level executives at Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby endorsed and supported Miracle Mansion.

However, during the trial, high-level executives with Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby testified they didn’t know Baldwin or his project and did not support it.

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During meetings, online, and via promotions, Baldwin told investors their money would further the development of Miracle Mansion, including operational expenses like zoning and land purchase.

The material contained several investment opportunities. One of the campaigns, “GroundSwell 73,” he described as “73 acres = 7,300 people, investing $73 per month, for 73 months.”

Using the money he collected, Baldwin spent hundreds of thousands of investors’ money on his excessive lifestyle. In addition, court documents say he used at least $150,000 to pay others involved in Miracle Mansion, and spent more investor money to make Ponzi-style payments to previous investors.

The federal jury convicted Baldwin of securities fraud, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $5 million fine. Additionally, he was found guilty of wire fraud, with a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

Officials have released Baldwin on bond. They have not yet set a sentencing date.