Members of Winans Family Accused in a Ponzi Scheme

March 17, 2010 • By Tiffani Knowles

Investigators have alleged that two members of the Winans, the famous Detroit gospel music family, orchestrated an $11 million Ponzi scheme that fleeced more than 180 people out of their money.

The Winans' alleged scheme, which came to light on March 4, even spawned a sequel, state investigators say: a suite of $5 million solo scams run by an Ann Arbor securities broker ripped off in the original fraud.

Michael Winans Jr. was the man behind the scheme. Winans also enlisted his father, Michael Sr., a member of the Gospel Hall of Fame quartet The Winans, to promote the scam.

Michael Winans Jr. was a member of Winans Phase 2, whose fathers were members of the original "Winans" group. Other performing members of the family, Marvin, Carvin, CeCe and BeBe, were not involved.

The Winans were known for chart-topping songs like, "Tomorrow," "Count it All Joy" and "Ain't No Need to Worry." Their style was noted for its crossover efforts

and received airplay on R&B radio.

"Our investigation found that Michael Winans Jr. orchestrated a scheme that resulted in hundreds of Detroit residents losing millions of hard-earned dollars," said Ken Ross, commissioner of the state Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation. "Promising sky-high, guaranteed returns, these scammers unscrupulously fleeced unsuspecting churchgoers."

That scam included Desmond Weems, Latonya Garth and several businesses, Ross said, and targeted members of the Genesis New Beginnings Church in Detroit, which was led by Weems' father-in-law.

The Winans Phase 2 entered the music scene in 1998 with their debut album, We Got Next. The group has yet to release another album since.

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