A group of five ruthless individuals with ties to a religious-based company in Texas have been charged with swindling a 92-year-old WWII veteran out of $300,000 in retirement funds, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Lenel Hopkins, 52, Antoinette Monique Hopkins, 42, Alichia Webster, 60, Neil John Halvorson, 65, and Victor Evans Jr., 70, are accused of tricking the elderly man into investing in their company, Ternion Group International LLC, also known as Ternion Training and Education Center Corporation.
The indictment alleges Ternion self-identified as a “Christian” company that claimed to be an international investment group performing construction projects and job training for believers. They promised investors high monetary returns and ownership in local development projects in exchange for large investment deposits into Ternion, according to the charges.
The scheme involved convincing potential investors to become “hubs” associated with Ternion, which would have a Ternion name and the investor’s address as its physical location. However, the charges allege that investors, including the WWII veteran, never received anything in exchange for their payments.
The indictment states that Evans convinced the veteran to form a hub, promising him $13 million in return if he invested $300,000. The money was supposedly to be used to build a vocational school and purchase 100 homes. However, the charges allege that Evans actually drew a salary from the money the victim transferred from his retirement account.
Halvorson allegedly caused the victim to enter into a new will, giving Evans successor rights and power of attorney over the victim’s property, bank accounts, and contracts. Halvorson also used the power of attorney to execute a do-not-resuscitate form for the victim, according to the charges.
Each of the defendants faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each count. The FBI conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Laurence Goldman is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of the Elder Justice Initiative, which aims to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud targeting older adults.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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