A controversail church leader from New Jersey, who was sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing the church’s funds, died from coronavirus earlier this month, the church said in a letter.

Jermaine Grant, of Burlington Township, who led the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ church in Harlem, was 44.

He was known to his devout followers as the Holy God Sent Comforter and Chief High Priest Tazadaqyah, but some members who have left the church described him as a cult leader who gained complete influence of his follower’s lives through manipulation and belittlement.

At the time of his death, Grant was awaiting to begin serving his sentence.

“(Grant) was a devoted and committed father and spiritual and religious leader, who dedicated his life to his family, the ICGJC, and helping those in need,” his attorney, Gerald B. Lefcourt, said in a statement.

The Daily News first reported his death.

Raised in the Bronx, Grant dropped out of school at the age of 14 and was drawn to the extremist Hebrew Israelite movement, which asserts that African Americans are God’s true chosen people and are the real descendants of the Hebrews of the Bible, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Grant quickly rose through the ranks of the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ. After a reported trip to Israel and Egypt in the early 2000s, Grant returned and told members he was the only appointed teacher of the bible on earth, though former members dispute if the trip actually happened. The leader at the time deemed Grant as “being the Holy Spirit in the flesh,” allowing him to take the reigns of the church, according to Nicholas Johnson, who left the church in 2019 after 20 years.

“(It) was easy for him to get control after that,” Johnson said.

Grant soon casted great influence over the movement across the country.

In 2008, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described Grant as “the man with the most power over the extremist Hebrew Israelite movement.” He preached that black Jesus would return to earth to enslave and kill white people, according to the Law Center, which is why the organization has classified the church as a black nationalist hate group.

As his influence in the movement grew, federal authorities launched a wide-ranging investigation in 2007 into Grant and his handling of the church’s money, which he had complete control over, authorities said. Members of the church were subjected to 20 percent tithes and other annual and monthly fees, including a monthly fee for all ranking men over the age of 12, the former members said.

Prosecutors said from at least 2007 to 2015, Grant, and the church’s treasurer, used a variety of methods to carry out a “multi-faceted” scheme, which helped Grant pay for vacations, luxury items and private school tuition for his children.

Grant, and Lincoln Warrington, of Teaneck, were eventually charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey on multiple tax evasion charges and a conspiracy to defraud the United States. Authorities said Grant failed to report $5.3 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of which he took from the church to enrich himself.

Grant pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States and was sentenced in January to 18 months in federal prison. Lefcourt, his attorney, said after the sentencing that he thought it was “inappropriate” that federal authorities investigated the black church for nearly a decade, while white televangelists often splurge on items such as private jets.

“I have never seen a church prosecution like this,” Lefcourt said.

At Grant’s sentencing, assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Mahoney said Grant “fooled” the members of his church and used its funds “like a piggy bank.”

Jermaine Grant is surrounded by members of his church after he was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison earlier this year.

But members of the church continued to support Grant and 100 turned up to greet him after his sentencing in Newark federal court. They cheered and chanted as he made his way through the crowd.

At the back of the courtroom during his sentencing were a handful of former members of the church who recently left and have described Grant as a fraudster whose church operated as a “cult.” They told NJ Advance Media that church members were unaware of the charges levied against Grant and the sentence that came with it because they were forbidden to read news about Grant, the former members said.

The church described his death as a “tremendous loss." The letter advised members to process the loss by watching video clips of Grant since the church cannot gather due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Satan made his move and now we will patiently wait for the Lord’s response,” the letter said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether it’s a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.