Kirbyjon Caldwell shares the seven-year journey from head of a mega church, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, to an indictment for defrauding investors of $3.5 million, to a return as a lay pastor.
The saga began when, in a historical move, Caldwell paid over $1 million in restitution plus $600,000 in investor fees before being indicted. He was later sentenced to six years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud on March 11, 2020. On June 22, 2021, he reported to the Federal Correctional Institution, a low-security facility in Beaumont, Tx.
While Kirbyjon Caldwell was released from prison in September 2024, that release was to home confinement. He recently completed the entirety of his prison term on July 31, 2025.
The uniqueness of Caldwell's conversation with the Houston Defender reveals his innermost thoughts and feelings about the past, with him reflecting on his journey from indictment to serving time in prison. It also takes a look at the present: the man today, looking at the challenges he faces re-entering public life and the future: the road ahead, revealing his new goals and initiatives.
The past: Reflecting on his journey
Question: What were you indicted for? What's the truth, in your own words? Please walk us through the events that led to your conviction.
Kirbyjon Caldwell: Here's the bottom line. I made some mistakes. The primary mistake I made was not doing a sufficient job of vetting the product, the process, the people and all of that. I don't know if you recall, during the press conference I held..... I had in my right hand about 14 or 15 documents, and I said, I am not guilty because I have 16 contracts in my hand signed by individuals or institutions who have promised to buy the bonds. Little did I know that if a contract does not have a performance date in it, it is not an enforceable agreement. I had 16 agreements, none of which had enforceable contracts. In the court, I was going to plead not guilty up until about seven to 10 days prior to the trial date. And then I found out that this is a very key word, key phrase - the prosecutors say, if you did not know it, you should have known it and that's what they pin on me. You should have known you went to business school, you should have known you've been doing money deals. You should have known. So, shame on me. I should have known that there were no performance or dates in those contracts. I did not know that. So here we are today.
Question: When you think of those harmed, emotionally or financially, what did you do to settle up, and what did you say to them?
Kirbyjon Caldwell: I accept full responsibility for my actions. It was never my intent to hurt or harm anyone; that was expressed specifically in the fact that I paid everybody back. They called it restitution. I paid 'em all back. Before my indictment, I refunded slightly over $1 million to those who requested their money back. And prior to sentencing, I paid full restitution to the investors/victims - my half of the restitution and my co-defendant's portion of the restitution. The government calls them victims. I then paid investors slightly over $600,000. What does the $600,000 represent? That represents the fees that some investors incurred when they pulled money out of their accounts to invest in this deal.
I did all that because I thought it was the right thing to do. At the risk of sounding like a Christian, which I am, I didn't want that curse hanging over my children's heads. It took every penny that I had to do it, but I did it. I've had numerous persons, including attorneys, say to me, no way in the hell I would've paid those folk all that money back. And I respect that. But I was glad to do it and I would do it again.
The present: The man today
Question: What's been the most surprising challenge or joy you've encountered since re-entering public life?
Kirbyjon Caldwell: One comes to mind straight away. One of our local television affiliates, we all know it is ABC -KTRK Channel 13. Bless their hearts. They reported on the $3.6 million fraud case. They did not report that I paid everybody back...But what I could not wrap my mind around was why they wanted to say, I stole money from elderly members of the church. Now I understand they've since printed a retraction. But you know how that goes. Nine million people heard I stole money from elderly members, and five people read the retraction.
As this lie that I stole money from elderly members at Windsor Village soaked in -- I asked myself, Kirbyjon, why would you feel ashamed if you knew it wasn't true? I felt ashamed, even though I knew it wasn't true. In my mind, I see somebody walking down the street and they say, 'There's that Caldwell who stole money from elderly people who were their members.' You know, it's the elderly members of Windsor Village part that really got me. My Achilles heel, my soft spot is for elderly and members. What kind of preacher would steal from his members? Elderly? Man, that's not me. And it just hurt my heart. The folk who know me came to my defense on social media, as you know, bless God for that.
Question: What impact has this chapter in your life had on your family, especially your children?
Kirbyjon Caldwell: The most painful days in Beaumont were missing the birthdays of my family members. Not my birthday, their birthdays...You don't get that back. Thanksgivings, those are painful too. But the Lord blessed me to see another Thanksgiving. Graduations, you don't get those back. My daughter made a statement once while I was in Beaumont that seared my soul. She said, 'Daddy, one of the things that I regret most about you being in Beaumont is that you are missing the opportunity to watch me become a young lady.' You don't get that back. So, as you can see that those were the tough parts.
You know, one of my children is forging his way as an entrepreneur. So, I wasn't able to help him with that. Another was forging his way as a student, having to change schools. Driving him to college - didn't get a chance to do that. All because I didn't know to look for the missing performance date and my attorney failed to catch the missing performance dates on the agreements as well. I want to repeat again, I should have known. I accept responsibility for knowing, but I have to confess in my mind, it's a steep price to pay.
Pastor Suzette (Caldwell) has done a phenomenal job, particularly considering all the headwinds. She didn't expect to pastor the church.
The future: The road ahead
Question: What's next for Kirbyjon Caldwell? Are you returning to full-time ministry or exploring a new path?
Kirbyjon Caldwell: First of all, I'm working on a book - books actually. I think there are books inside of me. So, I'm excited about that. In terms of my involvement here in the city, I will be doing a lot of preaching and a lot of teaching. As the lay pastor at Windsor Village, I'm going to be very involved in the community. I'm also working closely with the Kingdom Builder Center, the building - the KBC has a mission in and of itself. I'm going to work very closely with that organization. So, at the end of the day, we are going to do all we can to impact, in a positive way, and uplift the community going forward as we have in the past.