Jury Begin Deliberations In Former Pastor’s Fraud Trial

Prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments Friday morning in the fraud trial of a former church pastor accused of billed MaineCare for as much as $400,000 in false substance abuse counseling services, and using the money to pay himself a $189,000 salary and buy jewelry, a house, plane tickets and other items. Ronald Petersen, a former associate pastor of Faith Christian Center in Limerick, is facing a charge of theft by deception, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Petersen, 57, of Bridgton, orchestrated an elaborate scheme by setting up a counseling service and obtaining MaineCare billing numbers from licensed substance abuse counselors whom he knew, said Leanne Robbin, a Maine assistant attorney general.