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Drummondtarget ofgrand juryBy MU ALNORDaily Times Staff Writer PHILADELPHIA - A federal grand jury believed to be investigating business dealings of the Rev. Frederick Drummond and the Church of Our Saviour in Con-cordville has convened in Philadelphia.Subpoenas to testify before the grand jury were served within the past two weeks to a handful of people who conducted business with Drummond and the church, the Daily Times has learned.According to two people who have been subpoenaed, the documents ordered them to appear -yesterday at the grand jury witness room on the fourth floor of the U.S. District Court Building, 6th and Market streets.Since grand jury proceedings are secret, officials of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia conducting the probe would not comment on the investigation or even confirm if there was a grand jury investigation of Drummond.But one of the men served said an assistant U.S. attorney informed him the investigation of Drummond and church leaders was intensive and involved tax evasion and financial fraud.Drummond did not return a phone call. But his lawyer, Thomas Ostrander of Philadelphia, said, “Dr. Drummond believes the resolution the U.S. Attorney’s office will reach in this matter will be quite fair*Both sources said thewere interested in establishing a connection between the minister ami the now defunct Durawood of Delaware kitchencompany.Dozens of companies have filed suits against Durawood alleging the company owed them thousands of dollars.Many former church members have told the Daily Times that Durawood was almost entirely staffed by church members who were recruited under the belief that the profits were to be used to send missionaries around the world.No missionaries were dispatched, the Daily Times has found, and Drummond and other officers of the corporation re-expensive cars paid for byin late 1984 he began claiming he never had anything to do with Durawood.According to Don Van Staats of the Essex Leasing Co. in Connecticut, he provided investigators with Drummond’s credit application signed by the pastor that he was “owner of Durawood.”Drummond leased a Rolls Royce from the Essex firm for “personal use,” Van Staats said. When Drummond fell behind with his payments the Rolls was repossessed in early August, he said.Ralph Prueitt, vice president of A1 Prueitt and Sons, Inc. in Glen Rock, York County, the firm that did restoration work to the Rolls, said he provided investigators with copies of cancelled checks from Durawood paying for the job. He also provided investigators with information on how the minister allegedly avoided paying about $2,600 in state sales tax for work done on the Rolls, he said.REV. FREDERICK A. DRUMMONDJudge on my side, rev saysThough tape recordings reveal Drummond bragged from the pulpit he was “part owner* and “chairman of the board” of a nationwide company, when Durawood By BILL ALNORDaily Times Staff Writer CONCORD — The Rev. Frederick Drummond told his flock recently that he was involved in court action recently that was “not public” during which his point of view was “magnificently supported” by a judge.But a source close to the ongoing federal grand jury investigation said Drummond was “blowing hot air.”In a sermon delivered at the Church of Our Saviour on Dec. 7, Drummond t said, “We had a court situation we were involved in this week in which we were magnificently supported by the judge, who became quite irate.“I can’t give you any more details because it will go to the papers and this is not public and it would just thrill you if you knew what we were talking about. The bottom line was the judge went hysterical and told the folks involved, You are treading on thin ice. Leave him alone!’ ”The source, refusing to elaborate the circumstances, said that Drummond was quoting the judge “out of context” and was “blowing hot air.”
Newspaper Details
Delaware County Daily Times
Chester, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Dec 17, 1986
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Kaeli B.
NA, 10 Mar 2025
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