Buffalo Grove Pastor Accused Of $2M Fraud Scheme

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — A pastor with ties to Buffalo Grove is accused of defrauding at least 40 victims, many of them church members, out of at least $2 million through a fake investment scheme, according to federal prosecutors.

Winston Batino, a Chicago resident who prosecutors said served as an evangelist or minister at Eldership and Leadership of the Chicago Church of Christ, was charged in a two-count information filed May 26 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Batino is charged with wire fraud and filing a false federal income tax return.

According to the federal information, Batino fraudulently solicited, obtained and kept money from victims, most of whom were members of the church where he served.

Prosecutors said Batino told victims their money would be used to invest in luxury rehabilitation facilities, but those facilities did not exist.

Batino also entered into agreements with victims promising to repay their investments within specified periods of time, even though he knew he did not have the ability to make the repayments, prosecutors alleged.

Instead, prosecutors said Batino used victims’ money for his own personal expenses, including gambling, and to pay debts to other victims.

The alleged scheme began no later than February 2020 and continued through May 2025, according to the information.

Prosecutors said Batino misrepresented and concealed what he had done with victims’ money, including whether the money had been invested and how it had been used.

In a statement to Fox 32 Chicago, the church said Batino left the church in May 2025 and that it has cooperated with authorities. Fox 32 reported that the church said the allegations involve Batino’s personal conduct and not church operations.

As part of the wire fraud count, prosecutors cited a Jan. 8, 2025, electronic payment of approximately $46,500 from a Skokie victim’s bank account through the Federal Reserve System into a bank account held by Batino.

Batino is also accused of filing a false 2021 federal income tax return. Prosecutors said the return, filed in October 2022, reported total income of $195,071, even though Batino knew his total income substantially exceeded that amount.