JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A lawsuit alleges that a Jacksonville minister, who spent years serving a church and paying into its pension fund, has recently retired and learned he can’t get to the money.
Attorneys filed the suit on behalf of Rev. Pearce Ewing, who retired from Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in September, and other pastors nationwide.
Now, Pearce is driving a truck on the night shift to get by after his pension was frozen. He had worked for AME churches for more than three decades.
According to its website, the AME Church has been around since the 1700s, expanding across the country and the world, with memberships in 39 countries on five continents. It’s now part of the class action suit filed by attorney Fred Tromberg, who believes more than $100 million have been lost from the fund and that there are thousands of ministers affected.
“We filed a class action lawsuit to get that money and find out, A: where the money is gone. B: How much is missing? C: Where did it go? And D: Who took the money?” Tromberg said.
“I’m not going against the church. I would like to see the leadership held accountable,” Ewing said.
He said he received statements twice a year showing what he believed was in his pension fund.
“We thought it was OK,” he said.
The lawsuit names other defendants, including two financial services companies and the now-former executive director of the church’s Department of Retirement Services.
Tromberg says his preliminary investigation shows AMEC has admitted financial irregularities.
“They admitted to somewhere between $45 million and $90 million that was missing. We think it’s north of $100 million. And that’s not including the return on investment that should be there,” Tromberg said.
Tromberg said he’s looking to track down the money. Ewing says he wants to be made whole, and and wants whoever is behind this to be held accountable.
The I-TEAM requested comment from the AME Church. A spokesperson said it’s limited in what can be said because of the ongoing lawsuit, but they said that last year, a new retirement plan administrator uncovered possible financial irregularities. They’ve launched an independent investigation and are working with law enforcement.