He's a smooth talker, with an angelic face, said to be on a mission for God. This is the description police give for 41-year-old Lerron Carlton Heslop, the latest Jamaican to be placed on the America's Most Wanted (AMW) list.

Heslop is being sought by the United States (US) police on several counts of organised fraud. The AMW website lists Jamaica as one of his possible locations.

Investigators say Heslop has duped churches and churchgoers in Central Florida of at least US$450,000 by presenting himself as a wealthy businessman from a religious family in Jamaica.

"He asks for donations for what police say is a fake religious group, Pioneer Caribbean Team, and his victims gladly hand over the money," the website said.

Police think Heslop has pulled this scam in several states across the US, including Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York, as well as Canada, raking in at least US$1 million since 1996.

Detectives say Heslop tells his victims that the Pioneer Caribbean Team is trying to fund the establishment of Bible colleges and churches in the Caribbean. To entice them to donate, he promises big cash returns. He says he'll invest the money in Jamaican land used to grow sweet potatoes, and police say he claims the investors will not only see a tenfold return on their money, but they'll also help revitalise the area.

Man of God

The catch, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is that a return on investment never materialises. Since Heslop asks for cash only, there's no paper trail.

Florida investigators say Heslop targets churches and pastors because they are generally generous and trust him as a man of God.

He also pulls up in a fancy car, like a Jaguar, and shows professionally produced slide shows. He stays in the churchgoers' homes and makes them dinner. Detectives say he also invites investors to come to the Caribbean and work with his ministry, asking them to contribute US$4,000 to pay for a private jet. But he disappears before the trip ever materialises.

Heslop last lived in Dallas, Texas, but has since been tracked to Yonkers, New York.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement believes the 41-year-old fake preacher could also be living in The Cayman Islands. He reportedly has family in Toronto, Canada and Jamaica. Police are also searching for Heslop's wife, Thelsa 'Telly' Saleta Fearon-Heslop, on a charge of organised fraud.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com