A Chicago minister allegedly stole $2 million from his own flock — why is affinity fraud so hard to spot?
Key takeaways
- A Chicago minister allegedly stole $2 million from his own flock — why is affinity fraud so hard to spot?
- Batino — a minister formerly associated with the congregation — now faces federal charges of wire fraud and filing a false income tax return.
- Robert Kiyosaki says this 1 asset will surge 400% in a year and begs investors not to miss this ‘explosion’
A Chicago minister allegedly stole $2 million from his own flock — why is affinity fraud so hard to spot? Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock Emma Caplan-Fisher Mon, June 15, 2026 at 7:05 PM GMT+7 5 min read For more than five years, Winston Batino was a trusted figure in the Chicago Church of Christ’s North Ministry Center community in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. He was also, federal prosecutors allege, systematically stealing from the people who trusted him most, the Daily Herald reports (1).
Batino — a minister formerly associated with the congregation — now faces federal charges of wire fraud and filing a false income tax return. Prosecutors say he defrauded around 40 people, most of them church members, of at least $2 million between February 2020 and May 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud count alone (1).
Robert Kiyosaki says this 1 asset will surge 400% in a year and begs investors not to miss this ‘explosion’