Cathedral Bible College founder Wayne Miller to plead guilty to felony fraud charges

Reginald Wayne Miller -- the founder of Cathedral Bible College, which has campuses in Myrtle Beach and Marion -- has agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges related to forcing foreign students at his school to work for low or no wages under the threat of deportation if they did not comply.

Miller, 65, signed a plea agreement on Friday and will enter his guilty plea during a hearing at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Florence.

Miller is pleading guilty to two felony charges of visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for each charge, and two felony charges of fraud in labor contracting, which carries maximum prison terms of five years for each charge.

Miller also is pleading guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges of willful failure to pay minimum wage, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison for each charge.

All told, Miller is facing a combined 41 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines. No sentencing date has been scheduled. Miller, who lives in Marion, was arrested on March 21 and is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center pending a $250,000 secured bond.

Prosecutors say Miller included false statements on documents -- known as F-1 forms -- that are submitted to the federal government and include information about a foreign student’s eligibility to study here. Miller stated that the students would not work more than 20 hours a week when he knew their work hours would exceed that maximum and he stated that students would receive educational instruction when, in fact, they did not.

For example, Miller stated on the documents that a student identified as John Doe No. 2 would learn English at the college but no English language classes were provided, according to court documents. Miller also falsely stated that another student, identified as John Doe No. 3, would be enrolled in a full course of study at the college. Instead of classwork, the students spent much of their time working.

Investigators with Homeland Security said in a criminal complaint filed earlier this year that Miller forced foreign students to work, sometimes more than 40 hours a week, at the Marion campus and at his personal residence for as little as $25 per week. Miller threatened to cancel the students’ visas and send them back to their home countries if they complained, according to court documents.

The criminal complaint stemmed from interviews Homeland Security investigators conducted in May with at least eight Cathedral Bible College students. Those students told investigators that the classes offered at the college “were not real” and the main focus of the school is having students work full-time hours.

The students also told investigators that their living conditions at the college were substandard, including long periods of time without any hot water, heat or air conditioning. They also stated that the food provided by the college “was expired or insufficient for consumption and nutrition,” according to court documents.

It is not clear what will happen to the Bible college. The school’s web site has been taken offline and the telephone number at the Marion campus was not working on Monday. Miller’s school purchased the Marion campus -- the site of a former hospital -- in September 2013 with a $360,000 loan from its former owner, the Marion County Healthcare Foundation. Miller has been trying for years to sell his Myrtle Beach campus.

This is Miller’s second run-in with law enforcement. In 2006, the Horry County Police Department charged Miller with lewdness and prostitution, saying he exposed himself to an undercover police officer in a bath house at Myrtle Beach State Park, according to a police report. Miller entered into a pre-trial intervention program and the charge ultimately was expunged.

Cathedral Bible College originally was founded as Tabernacle Bible Institute in 1975 in Florence. Miller — who hosted the “Good Morning Jesus” television show during his time in Florence — moved the school to the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1995, purchasing property at a reduced rate under a federal program that gave incentives to educational facilities relocating to closed military sites.

The main campus was moved to Marion in 2012 but the college also maintains property in Myrtle Beach for American and Veteran’s Affairs students.

This story was originally published September 1, 2014 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Cathedral Bible College founder Wayne Miller to plead guilty to felony fraud charges."