PORTLAND, Ore. - A local pastor who raises cash, cars and more for charities he runs is drawing harsh criticism from former employees and members of his ministry who said he owes them tens of thousands of dollars.

The pastor, Corey Pritchett, runs a ministry called "Changing Lives" out of a southeast Portland office and also operates a Christian Web site called Northwest Deliverance.

A brochure for Pritchett's ministry states that it focuses on drug and alcohol rehabilitation, feeding the hungry and housing the needy. The Web site tells of an upcoming mission to help Louisiana hurricane victims. 

But former employees said the charity did next to nothing.

Churches and ministries don't have to file tax forms that show financial details, including how much of the donations go to services. So except for the word of Pritchett, there's no way to know where the money is going.

Pritchett, however, didn't want to talk to KATU about the charities' activities. After failing to arrange a time to meet to address the allegations, Pritchett was confronted by a reporter outside his home near Sandy. When pressed, Pritchett said his charity is legitimate but he failed to give specifics on upcoming charity events.

"I'm not going to talk right now," he said. "And I am going to have to ask you to leave the property, please."

Former employees said Pritchett often had them distribute fliers that not only promoted his charities but also real estate. They said he blurs the line between business and Christian charity, often promoting himself as a pastor to secure people's trust in business deals.

Though no one has complained to Portland police about Pritchett, the man has been sued in civil court dozens of times.

His name appears in more than 40 lawsuits, most within the past decade. Some are small for things like evictions or failing to pay utility bills. Others are large.

Shree Nwerem won a 2005 judgment against Pritchett for nearly $70,000. He was her pastor and she was in a financial and emotional crisis when he offered to help her and had her fill out loan applications. 

According to the lawsuit, Pritchett told Nwerem, "Trust me. I'm your pastor and ain't nothing going to happen to Sister Shree."

But she nearly lost her home in a financial fiasco instead, and said Pritchett still owes her thousands.

"I feel like I've been abused," she said. "Betrayed. I'm hurt."

A former employee, Louis Latham, has a similar story. She said Pritchett not only owes her $3,000 in back pay but she and her husband gave him $20,000 for a real estate investment that never took place.

The couple agreed to buy an old house, fix it up and flip it in 90 days. They said Pritchett promised them a 30-percent profit.

But the couple believes their money did not go to purchase the house.

"He kept telling me that, 'Oh, I'm working on the payment,' " Latham said.

The couple now has $20,000 in high-interest debt that is a huge strain on them financially.

A number of other former employees said they too weren't paid for work and instead received nothing but broken promises from Pritchett.

Bankruptcy filings show Pritchett claims to have over $100,000 in debt. He's filed for bankruptcy four times in the last eight years but never had his debts relieved due to his failure to pay fees and show up for court dates.

In three of the four bankruptcy filings, he's also included his religious charities.

Officials with the state Attorney General's Office said they can't give an opinion on Pritchett's charities.

"The congregant has the ultimate power in that they can withhold their contributions," said Victoria Cox, a representative of the office.