A Denver minister, accused of filing fraudulent life-insurance claims, was partly granted a request to halt the civil case against him until a criminal case is complete.
Acen L. Phillips may face criminal charges, and he did not want to be forced to testify in a civil case filed against him by AIG Life Insurance Co., court records say.
The order signed by a U.S. District Court judge on Friday says that the minister’s group, American Church United, is not exempt from providing information in the civil case. But that Phillips may incriminate himself if he is asked to cooperate, the order says.
AIG filed a lawsuit in March accusing Phillips and his church groups of providing life-insurance policies to a group of 316 people, but arranged for any payouts to go to him and his associates.
Phillips also remains under investigation by the Colorado Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney, but no charges have been filed.
