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Features
New Home Is Special Gift For Tampa Mother
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Sunday, mothers around the world will receive the royal treatment from their loved ones. But, one Tampa mother will receive a gift that will al- ways remind her of Mother’s Day.
Ms. Deborah Lowe, a de- serving mother of two children, will actually receive her gift a day early. On Saturday, the family will move into their new home in Seminole Heights. The newly completed home is the first for Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County this year.
The organization was able to build the structure and sell it at an affordable price through monetary gifts, donations, and volunteers who donated their time and effort. Ms. Lowe is purchasing the home with a no- interest loan, and her monthly mortgage payments will allow the organization to assist in the construction of additional Habitat homes.
In preparation for the move, Ms. Lowe completed training and certification course for first-time homeowners through the Tampa Housing Authority’s Center for Affordable Home Ownership. The program edu- cates potential homeowners on important issues such as money management, understanding credit, and shopping for a home.
Ms. Lowe said, “I have been a single mother for a long time and one of my goals was to get a home. I feel I have com-
Ms. Deborah Lowe is shown looking at the plans for her new home. (Photo courtesy of Habitat Hillsborough)
pleted that goal. It wasn’t easy, but I have done it through the grace of God.”
Ms. Lowe said she has been a renter all of her adult life, but her struggles to get ahead and hard work have paid off for her and her family.
When construction began, she was expecting to move in at the end of April, but that didn’t happen. The she was told she could move in during the first or second week of May. As fate would have it, Ms. Lowe is moving in Saturday, and will celebrate her first Mother’s Day in her new abode. She had no idea things would work out so that she would have such a spe- cial present for the holiday. Her son, 20, and daughter, 16, will share this special memory with her.
Ms. Lowe has worked for the Hillsborough County School District for the past 23 years. She enjoys traveling, helping
people, and spending time with her children. She is a member of People For Christ Ministries.
Publix Supermarkets Chari- ties contributes to the efforts. Additionally, thousands of Pub- lix associates donate their time and talents as a way of giving back to the community.
Jacquie Moore, Chairper- son of the Habitat of Hillsbor- ough Board of Directors said, “The kindness of our commu- nity is immeasurable. Our spon- sors and volunteers have made this new home possible and we are grateful we have their sup- port.”
Brian West, Media and Community Relations Manager of Publix Markets Charities said, “We are proud of our long standing relationship with Habitat for Humanity and the changed lives of those who have been recipients of their efforts - -- the individual home and the communities where they build.”
Bishop To Plead Guilty To $755,900 Tax Fraud Scheme
On May 28th, a bay area minister is scheduled to ap- pear before a federal judge. He has agreed to plead guilty to his role in a tax fraud scheme that netted nearly $755,900.
According to court docu- ments filed last week, Bishop Sylvester Banks, Jr., of Bible Church Of God, in Clearwater, was charged by information and has agreed to plead guilty. He is facing a maximum of 10 years in fed- eral prison for theft of gov- ernment funds.
Court documents stated that Bishop Banks, 56, was the signatory on a checking account at the Wells Fargo Bank. Beginning in April 2011 and continuing through March 2013, several checks were deposited into the checking account.
Once the checks were de- posited, the majority of the money was quickly with- drawn from the account. The court documents did not specify the amount, but stated that Bishop Banks retained a small portion of the money for himself.
The checks were all in the names of individuals who told officials that they had not filed any federal tax returns and had not received any re- funds. The victims also stated that they had not authorized Bishop Banks or anyone else to use their information
SYLVESTER BANKS, JR. ... To plead guilty in tax fraud case
for the purpose of filing fed- eral income tax returns.
The court document did not identify the number of victims and did not state whether the victims were members of his church.
Law enforcement agents interviewed Bishop Banks on February 4, 2015, about the transactions. During the interview, Bishop Banks al- legedly admitted that he con- trolled the bank account where the funds were de- posited, he had handled the deposits of the checks, and withdrew the funds.
He also admitted that he quickly realized that the in- come tax refund checks and that his action of depositing the checks and withdrawing the money was illegal, offi- cials said.
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A