LARGO, Fla. (Court TV) — Insisting that embattled Rev. Henry Lyons did not misuse church funds, three ministers insisted that Lyons' failed business dealings were not criminal and that Lyons has a right to profit from his post as president of the National Baptist Convention USA.

Lyons' defense opened its case Wednesday by presenting three convention pastors who attempted to give jurors insight into the business practices of the NBC. One witness, Lacy Curry, said that Lyons is free to make deals with corporations that want to profit from the NBC's congregation and that there is nothing wrong with him reaping some of the rewards of the deals. That, Curry claimed, is the way past Convention presidents have operated.

"We're a church, a religious organization," Curry said. "The way we do business may not be according to the ways of other institutions...I cannot think of anything he did under this administration that the previous presidents did not have the authority to do."

Lyons is on trial — along with Convention public relations director Bernice Edwards — for racketeering and grand theft. Investigators allege that Lyons and Edwards siphoned millions of dollars intended for the National Baptist Convention into secret bank accounts and used the money to buy diamonds, designer clothes, luxury cars and a $700,000 waterfront home.

But Lyons denies all the allegetions and his brethren — including one member of the convention's ethics commission that investigation the minister — testified that they believed him. Rev. E.V. Hill told jurors that he led the convention's ethics commision's investigation of Lyons in 1997. After studying the organization's bank accounts, Hill said, he found no incriminating evidence against Lyons.

"I am now testifying we found no unexplained income or expenditures according to the records," Hill said.

However, Hill admitted that the commission's investigation lasted only two weeks and that it did not talk to any of the corporations that claim Lyons swindeled them out of money.

Rev. H.L. Harvey supported Lyons' claim that the NBC had an 8.5 million membership, which prosecutors say is a bogus claim the defendant used to defraud the companies. Harvey, an Convention statistician, said he came up with the estimate in 1992 and claims it is accurate.

If convicted of the charges, Lyons could face up to 30 years in prison.

Court TV's Bryan Robinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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