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Nov. 24, 2024St. Joseph, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

St. Joseph man sentenced in connection with multi-million dollar conspiracy

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - A St. Joseph man will spend 12 years in federal prison for his role in an $8 million fraud conspiracy tied to a fake Christian health care ministry.

78-year-old James McGinnis, co-founder of Medical Cost Sharing, was sentenced for wire fraud and filing false tax returns.

Alongside his partner, Craig Reynolds, McGinnis marketed the organization as a faith-based health care sharing ministry, promising to cover members’ medical costs.

In reality, they paid just three percent of claims while pocketing over five million dollars for personal profit. The scheme left hundreds of members defrauded.

Medical Cost Sharing stopped paying claims entirely from 2021 to 2022 but continued collecting dues until federal agents raided the operation.

McGinnis was also ordered to pay nearly $8 million in restitution and forfeit assets, including a Ford F-250 truck. Reynolds received a 17-and-a-half-year sentence earlier this year.