John-Paul Miller Accused Of Attempted Bribery, Witness Intimidation

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The defendant in a defamation case filed last fall by scandal-scarred South Carolina pastor John Paul Miller has accused him of bribery and witness tampering related to a barrage of lawsuits filed earlier this year in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Horry County paralegal Melissa Mancari said the notorious Solid Rock pastor – whose wife, Mica Francis Miller, died under suspicious circumstances last spring – offered to compensate her to lie under oath in connection with these lawsuits.

The development is the latest bizarre narrative twist to follow from Mica’s supposed suicide on April 27, 2024 – an event which propelled this saga to the international stage.

Mancari’s allegations were provided in the form of a letter to Horry County clerk of court Renee Elvis – complete with receipts which included screenshots of communications between her and the embattled pastor. Last week, Myrtle Beach magistrate Chris Arakas provided this information to fourteen defendants with pending civil cases filed against them by Miller.

According to Mancari, Miller offered to drop the lawsuit against her – and to compensate her for testifying on his behalf in court hearings scheduled for this Wednesday (February 26, 2025) against protesters who are defendants in civil cases filed by Miller.

***

On September 17, 2024, Miller filed a defamation suit against Mancari in Horry County seeking $6 million in damages. The paralegal was never served with the summons and complaint in the case, however. Between January 10, 2025 and January 31, 2025, Miller and three of his associates filed a total of 34 civil suits in Myrtle Beach magistrate court against an array of protesters, content creators and others whom Miller accused of intruding on his life and causing financial losses, which he estimated at $7,500 per defendant – the maximum amount recoverable in magistrate court.

Miller filed additional motions requesting restraining orders against numerous individuals. Since restraining order requests are not recorded in the public index unless attached to a civil complaint, the total number of requests – and the identities of all those singled out by Miller – remains unknown.

Of the 34 civil suits filed by Miller and his associates in January, as of this publication (February 24, 2025) fourteen have been dismissed while four defendants have filed counterclaims. Fourteen defendants remain on the receiving end of pending cases.

***

***

On February 14, 2025, Mancari filed a motion to dismiss Miller’s case against her.

“The plaintiff failed to obtain service of process on the defendant within 120 days of filing this complaint, as required by South Carolina rules of civil procedure,” the filing stated. “Furthermore, the plaintiff still has not obtained service of process on the defendant 149 days after filing this complaint.”

Last Wednesday morning (February 19, 2025), Miller’s former attorney Russell Long filed a stipulation of dismissal (.pdf) in Horry County – essentially dismissing the case against Mancari.

Hours later, Mancari reported John-Paul Miller to the Myrtle Beach police department. According to emails provided to the court, Mancari described (.pdf) an incident which allegedly took place on the evening of February 6, 2025. According to her documentation, she received a text message from Miller “asking her to give a false testimony on an upcoming trial.”

Mancari also reported that Miller reiterated this request (.pdf) in an email to her place of employment on the morning of February 7, 2025.

***

***

According to Mancari, Miller allegedly asked her (.pdf) to state that protesters “attack cars, harass him, take pictures of license plates, post license plates online, abuse him, and stalk him at every location he visits.”

In her letter to Elvis, Mancari said, “none of (that) matches what I witnessed at the legally organized protests.”

“He is using a lawsuit that I was never served with as a weapon against me to obtain what he wants out of me,” Mancari added.

***

***

Receipts provided by Mancari also revealed information about Miller’s alleged attempts to evade monitoring of his phone tied to an ongoing probe led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A third party involved in a group chat about the details said they use an app called Signal to talk on the phone.

“They took three phones from him already,” the other party said. “They can probably hear what we say if they have an active tap, but if not they get nothing because my number won’t show as calling him.”

Of the seven hearings scheduled for this week, three of the defendants are protesters who are facing multiple civil suits – Melissa Pfeiffer, Alexandra Cuozzo and Sandra Caron. These defendants are being represented by attorney Philip Coury. All three have filed counter claims against Miller requesting a change of venue because their claims against him exceed the $7,500 limit on recoverable damages.

Caron’s counterclaim referenced a June 30, 2024 incident in which protesters were sprayed with water from the church sprinkler systems while peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. It also highlighted a November 6, 2024 parking lot altercation which led to Miller’s arrest for assault.

***

***

“Since the start of the protests in May 2024 to present, plaintiff has engaged in a pattern of conduct to harass and intimidate defendant as a means of silencing her voice and suppressing her right to free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the South Carolina Constitution,” the filing alleged. “(Miller) has used his position at his church and the church’s resources to direct congregants and/or agents of the church to harass, intimidate, and silence (Caron) and other like-minded individuals.”

It remains to be seen whether Mancari’s claims will impact the pending litigation – or result in criminal charges for the notorious pastor. As these legal battles unfold, FITSNews will continue to provide updates.

Mica’s death captured the attention of people all over the world after she was found with a gunshot wound to the head at 4:23 p.m. EST on April 27, 2024 at North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park – a sprawling 14,000-acre wilderness located roughly an hour’s drive northwest of Myrtle Beach. Her body was found at this secluded location a short time after she placed a call to 911 asking the operator to pinpoint her phone – stating she was “going to kill herself” and wanted her family to be able to find her body.

***

***

Mica had traveled to this park from Myrtle Beach earlier that day, and her body was discovered by police in a swampy area approximately forty meters from where spent shell casings and her belongings were recovered.

Mica died less than 48 hours after serving her husband with divorce papers.

On April 28, 2024 – less than twelve hours after being notified of Mica’s death – John-Paul Miller delivered a sermon at Solid Rock which closed with a bizarre announcement of her passing. Miller told congregants not to discuss Mica’s death as they departed the church.

Mica’s death was officially ruled a suicide by North Carolina investigators and medical examiners, but the bizarre manner in which her husband revealed it – and subsequent allegations of harassment and abuse leveled against him in multiple court filings and previous 911 calls – have raised doubts.

In addition to the ‘Justice for Mica’ movement, the saga has sparked the aforementioned FBI inquiry into allegations of “interstate domestic violence” involving Miller.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.