Pastor, Miracle Mansions CEO Sentenced for Fraud

Man stole nearly $800K to fund project, falsely claimed Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A were backers

A federal jury has sentenced Miracle Mansion CEO Michael Mandel Baldwin to two years of prison for using the mansion project to front an investment scheme.

Michael Baldwin / Video screenshot

On August 20, the jury sentenced Baldwin, 55, to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on charges of wire and securities fraud.

The sentencing follows a guilty ruling from November 2022.

Over a year prior, in October 2021, authorities arrested Baldwin for allegedly swindling members of a Charlotte, N.C., church out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the indictment, he used that money to fund his personal lifestyle.

Court records say that Baldwin deceitfully obtained over $740,000 from investors by promising to use their funds for the development of the Miracle Mansion, including purchasing land.

The indictment says Baldwin’s first victim was the pastor of a “Charlotte-area” church. The Charlotte church is listed as the second victim. Other victims were located throughout the U.S., including in Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia, the document states.

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According to court records, Baldwin misled prospective investors and victims by claiming that high-ranking administrators at Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, as well as The Kennedy Center, had approved and backed Miracle Mansion. High-ranking officials from Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A, on the other hand, testified during the trial that they were unaware of Baldwin and his idea and did not endorse it, refuting Baldwin’s allegations.

While operating as the Miracle Mansion’s CEO, Baldwin was working as the assistant pastor and musical director for Crossroads Baptist Church in Northern Virginia, where his brother is senior pastor and his father is the church’s founder and pastor emeritus.

Baldwin is still listed as the assistant pastor, “in addition to specific direction in church administration, music ministry, singles ministry, and Executive Director of the Conference on Evangelizing Black America (COEBA).”

MinistryWatch contacted Crossroads to ask about Baldwin’s continued staff listing despite his conviction in 2022, but has not received a response.

The sentencing memorandum included a letter to the judge from one of the Miracle Mansion investors. The letter vetted Baldwin’s character and asked that Baldwin avoid prison time, but rather have the opportunity to work and pay back the money he owes.

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