Prison Time for Former Leader of Hindu Temple of Georgia

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The former leader of a defunct Hindu temple located near Norcross has been sentenced to prison time for bilking money from his followers.

Annamalai Annamalai, also known as Dr. Commander Selvam and Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to 27 years, 3 months in prison following his August conviction on 34 felony counts, including bank fraud, tax fraud, bankruptcy fraud and obstruction.

Annamalai, of Baytown, Texas, was convicted of using his position as the leader of the Hindu Temple of Georgia to make multiple charges on his followers’ credit cards without their knowledge, then covering up his crimes.

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The temple, now bankrupt, was located on Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross.

Prosecutors said Annamalia charged fees to his followers’ credit cards for various spiritual services that were in excess of the agree-upon figures. If charges were disputed, he sent false information to the credit card companies to justify them.

Prosecutors said Annamalai later filed lawsuits against followers who disputed his charges and manipulated audio recordings to make it sound as if the followers had agreed to the disputed charges.

The indictment also charged Annamalai used the defrauded money to fund a lifestyle for he and his family that included numerous homes and real properties, luxury vehicles, and foreign bank accounts in India.

“Annamalai perverted the sacred institution of religion by using it as a vehicle for greed and personal profit,” Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Horn said in a statement. “He convinced his victims that they had a problem in need of spiritual guidance, and then took advantage of their vulnerabilities for personal financial gain. The sentence rendered against him is lengthy but just and fair considering the irreparable harm he caused to his victims.”

• Read more from the U.S. Attorney’s Office