Controversial South Florida pastor loses church property

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A Miami Gardens pastor, Eric Readon, who has been the subject of multiple Local 10 News investigations, has lost his church property following foreclosure proceedings.

Records show Eric Readon served as both pastor and CEO of New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, while his wife, Lakeisha Readon, is listed as the president of the organization. Lakeisha Readon is also a teacher at Van E. Blanton Elementary School.

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The New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2125 NW 155th Street in Miami Gardens, was sold at auction for $569,100 after failing to keep up with mortgage payments.

Court documents reveal that the church, led by Readon, had not made a mortgage payment since July 1, 2022, resulting in a debt of $760,522.94 owed to City First Mortgage. The bank acquired the property at auction.

When asked for comment, Readon responded to Local 10 News Investigator Jeff Weinsier, saying, “Get your facts straight, buddy.” In an email statement, Readon also said, “I never realized how much power I have, wow this is impressive the media has a special interest in me man that big I feel like TD Jake’s or Joel Osteen.”

This foreclosure marks the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Readon, whose legal troubles and allegations of misconduct have been reported by Local 10 News since 2017.

Readon’s history of allegations began in 2017 when several individuals accused him of financial wrongdoing. Lorenzo Johnson claimed Readon stole a check from his daycare office, forged it, and deposited it. A court ultimately ordered Readon to pay Johnson $9,000 plus interest. In another case, a woman named Latasha Blue sued him for $3,000, claiming that he failed to deliver a car he was selling her. Despite the judgment, she reported never receiving the payment.

One of the most serious allegations came from Edward Fuller, a 70-year-old Miami resident who said that Readon manipulated him into signing over the deed to his home temporarily to secure loans. Fuller alleged that Readon later sold the house for $380,000 without informing him and provided no compensation. Fuller, who said he trusted Readon because he was a pastor, claims he was left with nothing from the sale despite Readon’s promise to return his home.

Additionally, Readon has been accused of bouncing multiple checks, including rent payments for a house he rented in Miami Lakes. Others claimed they had given him deposits for rentals, cars, or church events, only to face resistance when asking for refunds. One individual alleged that Readon threatened their job when they tried to recoup their money.

Readon filed a $50 million lawsuit against WPLG INC., claiming our reporting had damaged his reputation.

Readon lost the case.

The Third District Court of Appeal upheld the ruling against him, ordering Readon and his attorneys to pay over $73,000 in attorney fees and court costs to WPLG INC.

In 2022, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office filed charges against him, including organized fraud, exploitation of the elderly, and grand theft for defrauding Fuller.

“Elderly exploitation so often is a complex shell-game depending on great trust being quietly transformed into financial deception via a movement of signed contracts, deeds and paperwork,” said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle at the time of Readon’s arrest.

That case is still going through the court system.

In 2022, Readon was also charged with organized fraud, two counts of grand theft and unlawful filing of false documents in Broward County.

Jannett Spence and Nixon Belotte both claimed Readon forged documents and misled them in order to take ownership of their homes.

Spence was selling a home in Davie.

Belotte was selling a home in Lauderdale Lakes.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement completed a comprehensive investigation into fraud allegations against Readon.

The FDLE revealed that Readon had a pattern of entering into unwritten agreements with victims in order to purchase their properties.

“Then, using various assurances, false or fraudulent pretenses, and or misrepresentations, Readon won the victim(s)’ confidence, obtained their properties, but never paid for their properties.” FDLE Special Agent Lisa Lamey said in court documents.

Readon sought out vulnerable victims, who were not sophisticated or savvy in the field of real estate, according to court documents, she added.

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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