Windsor Village Church celebrates early prison release of former pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell
When her husband, Kirbyjon Caldwell, who formerly led the 14,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Texas, began his six-year prison term in June 2021 for defrauding members of his church and other investors, Suzette Caldwell, the church's current senior pastor, said she "cried a river."
On Sunday, she issued prayers of thanksgiving and praise from her pulpit as she revealed that her husband is no longer behind bars.
"As you may have heard, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell is at home," she said to cheers.
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"He's under home confinement, but as soon as he has the green light … from his case manager, then he will be at church," she continued. "He's doing very well. He looks healthy; he's in good spirits. He's ready to go. Y'all know Pastor Kirbyjon, that has not changed."
Kirbyjon Caldwell, who served as a spiritual adviser to former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty in March 2020 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection to his role in a multimillion-dollar investment scheme that preyed on the elderly.
The former megachurch leader and Gregory Alan Smith, an investment adviser based in Shreveport, Louisiana, were charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to prosecutors, Smith and Caldwell raised around $3.5 million in historical Chinese bonds from 29 investors between 2013 to 2014 that carried no value outside the memorabilia market.
Both men reportedly tricked investors into believing that they were buying the bonds through a Shreveport-based company called Smith Financial Group LLC. The U.S. Department of Justice charged that the former Republic of China issued the bonds before losing power to the communist government in 1949.
In a going away video to his church family, Kirbyjon Caldwell said he and his lawyer were not aware that he was committing wire fraud.
"Over three years or so ago, I was indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. … Wire fraud is very inclusive [of a wide range of activities], obviously. I did not know I was committing wire fraud, neither did my attorney at the time, and that's the way it goes," the 67-year-old former church leader said.
Windsor Village issued a statement after the pastor's sentencing in January 2021 stating that he was "remorseful" about the scheme and that all of his victims had been repaid.
"The court found that Caldwell made full restitution to all of the victims. Notable, restitution began prior to indictment and was completed before sentencing," the church said. "Many victims were paid over and above the amount that they invested. Voluntary restitution is virtually unheard of and extremely rare in these kinds of cases."
The church noted that Caldwell was also removed as an ordained elder in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Kirbyjon Caldwell served his time at a satellite prison camp adjacent to the Beaumont low-security prison within the Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex in eastern Texas. These prison camps usually have dormitory housing, a relatively low staff-to-inmate ratio, and limited or no perimeter fencing, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The camps are work and program-oriented.
Suzette Caldwell reiterated on Sunday that her husband completed full restitution more than 40 months ago.
"We're expecting great days ahead. … We all knew that it wasn't about him. It was about you," she told the faithful.
In a statement shared on the church's Facebook page Monday, Kirbyjon Caldwell said: "Hey there! I regret not being able to see you at church yesterday. As Pastor Suzette shared, I am at home under home confinement. Thanks for your prayers and prayerful support. I love you in Jesus' Name, and I will see you soon!"
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