FBI Raid? Angel Food Ministries?

When does the corruption END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FBI raid on Ga-based food charity raises questions
By DIONNE WALKER Associated Press Writer The Associated Press
Friday, March 6, 2009 3:31 AM EST



The offices of Angel Food Ministries in Monroe, Ga., are shown Thursday, March 5,...

For more than a decade, Angel Food Ministries seemed like a godsend for families who purchased its low-cost food boxes and the churches that shared millions in revenue for distributing the goods.

It became an economic juggernaut in the faith community, employing hundreds, feeding thousands a month and pouring $19 million into its network of more than 5,000 host churches in 35 states.

Now, a lawsuit coupled with an FBI raid at the group's headquarters has raised accusations of financial mismanagement at the nonprofit. The raid and ensuing FBI investigation have left congregations and church leaders weighing whether to cut their ties to the high-profile charity after the reported disclosure that six-figure salaries were paid to its founders.

"We get signed up and I start hearing this," said the Rev. Chad Massey, whose Unadilla First Baptist Church in central Georgia planned to place its first Angel Food order this month. "It's kind of hard to know what to do."

FBI officials haven't disclosed the nature of the investigation surrounding the ministry.

Angel Food has acknowledged that a grand jury investigation is looking into what it called "alleged financial irregularities" involving unspecified individuals — but not the ministry itself.

Meanwhile, lawsuits filed by Angel Food Ministries board members and former employees accuse Angel Food leadership of using the non-denominational nonprofit as a moneymaking venture.

The Rev. Joseph Wingo and wife Linda founded the ministry in 1994 to help 34 families hurt by plant closings in the manufacturing town of Monroe, about 45 miles east of Atlanta.

Since then, Angel Food Ministries has grown to hundreds of workers supplying food for anti-poverty programs at more than 5,000 churches spanning several denominations. There are 473 distribution centers listed in Georgia and more than 1,400 concentrated in Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

All told, the ministry says it serves more than 500,000 families a month. It has no plans to interrupt food delivery.

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