LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9 -- R&B singer Billy Preston and his one-time manager have been indicted along with five other people in Los Angeles in connection with an alleged $1 million insurance fraud scheme. Prosecutors announced today that the 52-year-old Preston, former manager Merle Otis Greene and five other people were indicted by the Los Angeles County grand jury for an alleged scheme to set fire to their own homes, and stage burglaries and car crashes to collect insurance.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Cabral said the indictment alleges 18 separate insurance claims for losses of more than $2 million. He said slightly more than $1 million was paid out by various insurance companies. Preston is already serving a state prison term for violating probation in a drug case. He's expected to be moved from Avenal State Prison to Los Angeles, where he's scheduled to be arraigned Friday. Preston began his music career in Los Angeles in the early 1960s, performing while still in his teens with top gospel singers including the Rev. James Cleveland. In the early 1970s, he played the piano solo on 'Get Back' and other hits from the Beatles' 'Let It Be' album. Between 1972 and 1974, he had four solo hits to his credit, including 'Will It Go Round In Circles?' ---
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