A Washington pastor allegedly raised at least $13 million for a technology investment whose online marketplace could not complete a single customer purchase, according to a federal indictment.
Cristian Popescu, 46, of Bothell, led the Passion for Christ congregation in Kirkland while promoting Followone Inc., a Bellevue venture. Prosecutors say he used his position at the church to win investors’ trust while making misleading claims about the business.
More than 30 people provided investments and loans, according to the filing. Prosecutors allege that money intended for Followone was diverted for personal spending and stock trading, while some investors struggled to recover their funds.
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Popescu pleaded not guilty on Oct. 13, 2026, to ten counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced. The…
IT & DATA SECURITY (MITIGATING THE “INSIDER THREAT”)
As seen in the TD Bank case, an employee with too much “access” can sell your customer data to syndicates.
- Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Employees should only have access to the specific folders and databases required for their current task.
- Access Revocation: Have a “Termination Checklist” that ensures all digital access (Email, VPN, Banking) is revoked within 60 minutes of an employee resigning or being dismissed.
- System Logs & Audit Trails: Enable “Read/Write Logging” on your server. If a customer’s data is leaked, you need to know exactly which login accessed that record and at what time.
- Encryption at Rest: Ensure that sensitive files (like your customer ID numbers or payroll spreadsheets) are encrypted so that if a staff member copies them to a USB, they cannot be read.