Winder Police have arrested one suspect and identified two others accused of bilking a man, "out of a large sum of money using religion as their cause," authorities said Thursday.
Bernard Candies, 61, has been charged with felony fraud, exploitation of the elderly and probation violation, Capt. Chris Cooper stated in a media release.
Police went public with details on the case in early September, in hopes of identifying suspects.
The victim told officers that two suspects followed him into a store and asked about his religious beliefs while he was shopping. They convinced the victim to make a donation to a children's charity and allow them to pray over it.
The men accompanied the victim to a bank where he withdrew money and put it in an envelope, according to police.
"The suspects wrapped the envelope in a cloth they referred to as a prayer cloth. All of the men prayed over the money together asking for the money to be multiplied," Cooper said. "The men convinced the victim to not open the cloth or the envelope until he got home or else the prayer would not work."
The victim later discovered the cash envelope had been swapped for one filled with newspaper.
In Thursday's release, police identified the other two suspects as Sylvester Jackson and Marvin Scott, both 63. Both are wanted for felony fraud and exploitation of the elderly.
Bond was denied for Candies, according to Cooper. Police have not provided his date of arrest or the date of the original incident.
Bernard Candies, 61, Sylvester Jackson, 63, and Marvin Scott, 63.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/10/593314/winder-police-identify-suspects-in-prayer-cloth-fraud-case