Madelyn Evans
Madelyn Wheeler Evans, daughter of William Branham associate Carl Wheeler, became connected to one of the major financial scandals involving Voice of God Recordings after she and her husband Wayne Evans were implicated in litigation and criminal proceedings over funds embezzled from the Tohono O'odham Nation. Federal allegations described Wayne Evans as secretly controlling Huntington Construction and diverting approximately $1.597 million in tribal funds, with Voice of God Recordings accused in a related racketeering suit before settling for $820,000. Wayne Evans later pleaded guilty to embezzlement and filing a false tax return, while Madelyn Evans fought efforts to question her individually about Wayne's actions, taking the matter as far as the United States Supreme Court.
Madelyn (Wheeler) Evans is the daughter of Carl Wheeler, a close friend, deacon,[1] and supporter of William Branham. In 2001, Madelyn Evans and her husband Wayne Evans were indicted for embezzling funds[2] from the O'odham Indian Nation to fund Voice of God Recordings, which distributes William Branham's sermons and transcripts. Evans, Voice of God Recordings, and others were the target of a racketeering suit filed in 1997. Voice of God Recordings settled out of the suit. Voice of God Recordings, also named defendant of the suit, decided to settle for $820,000
The first count of the indictment alleged, in part, that beginning on or about December, 1994, and continuing through on or about September, 1997, in the District of Arizona, Wayne C. Evans, did embezzle, steal, knowingly convert to his use or the use of another, and did willfully misapply and permit to be misapplied, approximately $1.597 million of the moneys, funds, credits, goods, assets and other property belonging to or intrusted to the custody or care of the Tohono - 6 - O’odham Indian Nation, by causing those funds to be paid to himself through use of Huntington Construction, an entity which he secretly and covertly controlled.
Madelyn filed a motion to avoid being questioned individually about the actions of Wayne. The matter went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.[3] Wayne Evans pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.6 million and filing a false income tax return in October 2011.[4]