A mistress to a Christian radio host, who called himself the "Money Doctor," was sentenced to life in prison in Texas for operating a Ponzi scheme with her lover that bilked millions of dollars from hundreds of senior citizens.
Debra Mae Carter, 65, was called by prosecutors the mastermind of the scheme she carried out with William Neil "Doc" Gallagher that ripped off more than 170 retired people of more than $31 million over a 10-year span, the Tarrant County District Attorney said in a news release on Tuesday.
"Gallagher's main role in the scheme was to bring in the money; Carter's role was to make sure it was not recovered by the victims. The two ultimately planned to retire to a huge ranch together," DA Phil Sorrells said.
Gallagher, 83, was sentenced to three life sentences in November 2021, with an additional 30 years in prison on charges of forgery, securing the execution of a document by deception, theft of property, and exploitation of the elderly.
Carter, convicted of money laundering on July 8, washed their ill-gotten games through rental homes, land and fake charities.
More than $200,000 in gold and silver was found in her travel trailer.
"These were hard-earned retirement (dollars) which ... got put into her account over and over again. She is a blight on society," Assistant District Attorney Lori Varnell said in the statement. "She's just a liar. That's what she does."
Their victims, many of whom testified, said Carter and Gallagher ruined their lives.
Among them was Brenda Wilkerson.
Wilkerson, an avid listener to Gallagher's show, married her husband Gary in 1957, raised four boys and created a nest egg to live on in their later years.
Then in 2016, she heard that a member of her church invested in Gallagher, and with Gary gave him $50,000, Fox 4 reported.
"Because I had read his book and had listened to the program and thought it sounded all great," she told the station.
Gary died in 2019 and Wilkerson found out that March their investment in Gallagher was gone.
"I was already under such tremendous stress from losing my husband. That just really was a punch in the gut," she said.