A Miami-Dade minister could go to prison for the rest of his life and his wife for more than 10 years for their convictions in a $6 million mortgage scheme fueled by drug money.
Garry and Yvonne Souffrant, both 33, who formerly lived with their three children in Davie, are scheduled to be sentenced in Miami federal court Wednesday morning by U.S. District Judge Paul Huck.
In November, the couple was convicted of conspiring to defraud major banks to buy 32 residential properties in Miami-Dade, Broward and other parts of Florida during the real estate boom. Garry Souffrant, former pastor of God First Ministries in Miami Gardens, was also convicted of conspiring to launder drug proceeds.
Souffrant, a former supervisor at Boca Raton Fire Rescue, was also accused of recruiting his brother into the conspiracy. But Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Gamaliel Souffrant, 44, of Pembroke Pines, was acquitted.
Dozens of relatives, friends and others wrote letters of support for Yvonne Souffrant but none for Garry Souffrant, according to court records.
In court papers, her lawyer, Philip Horowitz, said she should receive a prison sentence of two to three years. Garry Souffrant's attorney, Todd Malone, did not specify a prison term.
According to federal authorities, the couple used their family business, Progressive Real Estate of Broward, to help local drug traffickers purchase homes and luxury automobiles, including a 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Read the complete story at miamiherald.com
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