'Cult' leader convicted in Peter Beck criminal case

I am not sure how I missed this fiasco:

The woman prosecutors alleged ran a "cult" that benefitted [sic] from the financial scam involving Ohio lawmaker Peter Beck was convicted Monday.

Janet Combs, 77, pleaded no contest and was convicted of receiving stolen property. She could receive up to three years in prison when she is sentenced Jan. 14. Because she's likely to testify against Beck, she may receive no time behind bars.

Combs pleaded no contest -- an admission of the allegations but not of her guilt -- in exchange for prosecutors dropping 10 other charges and reducing the most serious charge of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity to receiving stolen property.

Combs' church, the Ark by the River Fellowship Ministries, as part of the plea deal, will have the charges against it -- the same charges originally filed against Combs -- dismissed Dec. 11. That's in exchange for the Ark agreeing to pay back investors in the case $250,000. The church will pay $50,000 by the end of this year and $200,000 over the next three years, Senior Assistant Ohio Attorney General Daniel Kasaris said Monday.

Beck, 61, of Mason, is accused of scheming with John Fussner, 56, of Mason, and others to scam investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by convincing them to invest in a software company he knew was insolvent. Beck was the chief financial officer of Christopher Technologies, the West Chest startup.

'Cult' leader convicted in Peter Beck criminal case