A former leader with the Chicago Church of Christ in Illinois is now facing charges of wire fraud and filing false tax statements after federal prosecutors say he convinced several members of the church to invest approximately $2 million into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that never existed.
Pastor Winston Batino, who served as an evangelist at the North Ministry Center of the multisite church, pleaded not guilty to the charges in a court appearance on Monday and was released on bail, according to Fox 32.
If convicted, Batino could spend up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge alone. Court documents cited by the news outlet say the former Chicago Church of Christ leader collected the $2 million from about 40 church members.
Similar charges are leveled against Batino in another civil lawsuit from a plaintiff who said he wired $144,000 to the former church leader to invest in the project.
Chicago Church of Christ did not immediately respond to questions from The Christian Post on Tuesday.
In a statement to Fox 32, the church said they commissioned an independent internal investigation into the claims against Batino after he was fired, and they were corroborated.
“We first learned of Mr. Batino’s alleged misconduct in May of 2025, and he has not been employed by or a part of our fellowship since that time. His termination and disfellowship occurred immediately after we became aware of his alleged fraud scheme,” the church told the outlet.
Church officials said the investigation was conducted by the law firm of Cheronis & Parente, led by former federal prosecutor Chris Parente. The investigation consisted of interviews with victims, congregational leadership and administrative staff.
“Mr. Parente’s investigative work concluded recently, and his final report was submitted in late April 2026. This independent investigation corroborated the allegations of wrongdoing by Mr. Batino, detailing intentional steps he took to conceal his schemes from key church leaders,” the statement said. “While we are grateful to report the investigation found that the Church was neither engaged in nor complicit in Mr. Batino’s actions, we remain deeply troubled and saddened by his breach of trust.”
The church model operated by the Chicago Church of Christ is decentralized and focused on small groups. While they meet regionally for worship on Sundays, they participate in a house church-style Bible study during the week.
“While the path since discovering these actions has been deeply painful, the Church has remained fully committed to caring for those impacted and ensuring accountability. We strongly believe that to live as Christ is to live as people of the light. Guided by this principle from the very beginning, we have done everything within our power to bring all matters related to this case into the open,” church officials noted in their statement on Batino.
“Through the difficulty of this past year, our spiritual community has pulled together. We continue to support the victims connected to this case and seek justice for the wrongs that have harmed so many. We will continue to pray for healing and cooperate fully with authorities throughout the legal proceedings.”
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