Pastor who allegedly scammed 71-year-old woman out of $20K in custody

Authored by local10.com and submitted by GokuSensei_
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BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Police in Broward County have a former pastor who allegedly scammed a woman out of thousands of dollars in custody.

It’s left 71-year-old Pauline Bryce devastated.

“That’s all I had, that’s my life savings,” she said. “I saved it penny by penny.”

She lost her life savings thinking she was buying her dream house for her 47-year-old son who suffers from epilepsy.

“I put it down because I wanted a place for me and my son, I didn’t want him on the streets,” Bryce said. “I haven’t heard from him in four weeks I don’t know where he is.”

Local 10 sources say GarRy Souffrant was a pastor who served time for a multi-million dollar money laundering scam. They say what he is accused of doing with his son Jahmal Souffrant is downright evil. Miramar police say there is an active search underway for Jahmal.

“People like this shouldn’t be on the streets,” said Bryce.

Pastor and son wanted for scamming 71-year-old woman out of $20,000. (Miramar Police)

Local 10 News’ Rosh Lowe asked Miramar Police Det. Earnest Woods what kind of people would do something so awful.

“People who need to be brought to justice,” Woods replied.

Authorities say the pair of crooks convinced Pauline Bryce they had a property in Plantation, and they would need a $20,000 deposit for her to get a contract.

She gave up the money and never got it back. She never got the property, either.

Bryce had a message for the son of the pastor:

“Jahmal, you have a baby, let me tell you something, why go to prison because of lying and stealing with your father? How could you deceive your daughter like that. You called me grandma and this is what you did to me. This is what you did to me. It hurts, but you will pay.”

Bryce is a woman of faith, now living with her daughter in Miramar where she filed the police report

“If I am a pastor, I wouldn’t do that to anyone,” she said. “It’s not nice, it’s not kind, it low down and it’s dirty.”

Souffrant was picked up on Friday. Investigators are hoping anyone with information about Jahmal’s whereabouts will contact CrimeStoppers at (954) 493-8477.

BroadwayJoeFYVM on October 8th, 2022 at 14:36 UTC »

"Here comes another con hiding behind a collar,

His only god is the Almighty Dollar!

He ain't no prophet, he ain't ne healer,

He's just a two-bit goddamn money stealer!"

- Mike Muir

NameTheEpithet on October 8th, 2022 at 14:31 UTC »

A false handyman scammed my grandma out of 80k for roof repairs and chimney repair. On the gulf coast so there's always need for that kind of work. But she'd had a stroke, there'd been a storm snc this piece of shit went door to door. He even came back to pretend he was getting up on the roof everyday...

Heavy heavy levels of bad karma

Pinkie_Flamingo on October 8th, 2022 at 14:14 UTC »

This is one of the cruelest thefts by deception I have ever heard of. The lady wanted a home she could share with her severely disabled son, who is now missing and may be dead. This horrible man targeted this lady due to her extreme need and her faith, which made her trust an avowed preacher far too easily, and he stole every penny she had. Arresting him and his co-conspirator son will mebbe allow all of us to get justice, but it won't put the victim in a house, or repay her life savings, or locate her disabled son, alive or dead.

This offender has a terrible criminal record for other frauds. Why was he out of prison? Previous sentence not long enough or early parole for "good behaviour" whilst in prison before?

It's a horrible failure, especially in Florida, that the government cannot protect its vulnerable elderly residents from crimes of this nature.