A northwest suburban minister faces up to 23 years in federal prison after prosecutors accused him of running a multi-year investment scheme that took $2 million from approximately 40 victims, many of whom belonged to his own congregation.
Federal authorities filed a two-count information in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois charging Winston Batino, a Chicago resident who served as an evangelist and minister for the Eldership and Leadership of the Chicago Church of Christ.
The criminal charges state that Batino operated the fraudulent operation from February 2020 through May 2025 by soliciting investment capital from church members across the northwest suburban region.
According to court filings, Batino convinced victims to give him money by claiming their funds would build and operate luxury rehabilitation facilities that did not actually exist.
The charging documents indicate that Batino signed official agreements promising to repay the individual investors within specific timeframes despite knowing he lacked the financial ability to fulfill those obligations.
Federal investigators stated that Batino never invested the principal capital into medical or therapeutic facilities, but instead diverted the cash toward his own personal expenses, including gambling debts.
To keep the operation hidden from local families, Batino allegedly used funds obtained from new investors to pay off previous victims while concealing exactly how he managed the money.
The wire fraud count specifically stems from a financial transaction on Jan. 8, 2025, when Batino allegedly orchestrated a $46,500 electronic transfer from a Skokie church member’s bank account directly into a personal account under his control.
The second count alleges that Batino filed a fraudulent federal income tax return on Oct. 17, 2022, to underreport his actual earnings to the Internal Revenue Service.
The tax documents show Batino reported a total gross income of $195,071 for the 2021 tax year, a figure prosecutors assert he knew was substantially lower than his actual accumulation of cash and assets.
Leadership at the Chicago Church of Christ, which operates its North Ministry Center out of Buffalo Grove, confirmed that administrators immediately terminated Batino when the internal discrepancies first surfaced in May 2025.
Church officials announced they subsequently retained Chris Parente, a former federal prosecutor, to spearhead a comprehensive independent investigation into the scope of Batino’s financial activities.
The independent investigative team completed its review in April 2026, concluding that the church organization itself was neither complicit in nor aware of Batino’s private business dealings.
Current church leaders released a formal statement emphasizing their ongoing cooperation with federal investigators and expressing deep sadness regarding the absolute breach of trust experienced by their regional parishioners.
Legal experts note that the maximum statutory penalty for a single count of wire fraud under federal sentencing guidelines is 20 years in a federal penitentiary.
The separate charge of filing a false federal income tax return carries an additional maximum penalty of three years in prison upon conviction.
Financial planning experts advise suburban residents to always verify separate business opportunities by requesting formal registration documents filed with the Illinois Secretary of State before transferring any capital.
Local financial counselors also emphasize that legitimate investment opportunities should always provide clear, verifiable third-party statements rather than relying solely on personal assurances from community or religious leaders.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois continues to manage the prosecution, and a federal judge will schedule future court appearances for the defendant in downtown Chicago.
