(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Joliet church at risk of having to sell off its building and property is in the clear, thanks to successful fundraising efforts.
The federal government wanted Messiah Lutheran Church in Joliet to repay $300,000 that a former parishioner had given the church. That parishioner, Ken Courtright, had been convicted of taking $75 million from investors in a Ponzi-like scheme.
He donated some of that money to the church, which faced a deadline this week to repay the money to the feds or risk a higher fine and the need to sell its property.
Parish Planning Council President Brian Wielbik says nearly $400,000 was raised and the black cloud has disappeared.
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