A pastor will be back in church after serving time for stealing retiree’s home
A Miami Gardens pastor who was convicted of swindling a retiree out of his $267,000 home was released from jail this week — and will be welcomed back at his church in a Sunday worship service.
Eric Readon, the pastor of New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church, served just under a year in jail after he pleaded no contest last June to theft from a person 65 years or older. In 2022, Readon, 50, was arrested on allegations that he stole retired postal worker Edward Fuller’s home on Northwest 19th Avenue near Opa-locka.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the church advertised its Sunday worship service, telling congregants to “be there” from 8:45-10 a.m. The post included a photo of Readon — and the words “Readon Returns.”
WPLG-Local 10 News, which published several investigative pieces about Readon before his arrest, first reported about his release.
The scheme, prosecutors said, involved Readon guaranteeing a loan to refurbish the home in exchange for Fuller signing over the deed to the property and paying Readon a $15,000 fee.
Fuller, who said he saw Readon as “a man of God,” signed over half his ownership, according to prosecutors. This is when, authorities say, Readon’s “complex” scheme began. It involved numerous property-deed transfers, construction loans, mortgages and credit-card advances.
Readon accepted a plea deal with prosecutors but, less than a month later, he attempted to withdraw the plea. However, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Christine Hernandez denied his request last July — and sentenced him to just under a year behind bars.
Readon will also have to complete 15 years of probation and pay Fuller $180,000 in restitution, court records show.
Not the only victim
The Miami-Dade case is not the only time Readon has been accused by investigators of defrauding homeowners.
In 2025, Readon reached a plea agreement with Broward prosecutors over allegations that he also fraudulently stole properties in Davie and Lauderdale Lakes. The Davie property was worth $1.7 million.
As part of the deal, Readon was sentenced to two years of house arrest and 10 years of probation. The pastor was ordered to pay one of the property owners $150,000, and the other $46,500.
Both victims won back their properties after legal battles.
As a pastor, Readon is known in the community for fighting gun violence, often showing up at rallies and seen comforting grieving family members.
