“Man of God” Not A Man Of His Word
 
Lerron Carlton Heslop may pretend to wear the face of a saint, but police say behind that angelic appearance is the mind of a strategic felon.  Investigators say Heslop has duped churches and church-goers in Central Florida of at least $450,000 by presenting himself as a wealthy businessman from a religious family in Jamaica.  He asks for donations for what police say is a fake religious group, Pioneer Caribbean Team, and his victims gladly hand over the money.

And it’s a profitable line of work, too: Police think Heslop has pulled this scam in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York and Canada — raking in at least $1m since 1996.
Police say he scams investors in the name of religion
The Scheme
Detectives say Heslop tells his victims that the Pioneer Caribbean Team is trying to fund the establishment of bible colleges and churches in the Caribbean, and to entice them even more to donate, he promises big cash in return.  He says he’ll invest the money in Jamaican land used to grow sweet potatoes, and police say he claims the investors will not only see a ten-fold return on their money, but they’ll also help revitalize the area.

The catch, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is that a return on investment never materializes — and since Heslop asks for cash only, there’s no paper trail.
Targeting The Trusting

Police are also looking for Heslop's wife, Thelsa Saleta Fearon-Heslop.

FDLE investigators say Heslop targets churches and pastors because they are generous by nature and trust God — and as a proclaimed man of God, Heslop would seem trustworthy.
He also pulls up in a fancy car, like a Jaguar, and shows professionally-produced slide shows. He stays in the churchgoers’ homes and makes them dinner. Detectives say he also invites investors to come to the Caribbean and work with his ministry, asking them to contribute $4,000 to pay for a private jet. But he’ll disappear before the trip ever happens.

Investigators say they know Heslop lived in Dallas, Tex. last, but he has been tracked to Yonkers, N.Y.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement believes that Heslop could also be living in the Cayman Islands, and he has family in Toronto, Canada and Jamaica. Police are also searching for Heslop’s wife, Thelsa “Telly” Saleta Fearon-Heslop, for the same charge of Organized Fraud.