Five of the seven remaining co-defendants in a scam that defrauded a Prattville church of more than $2 million pleaded guilty to theft charges in Autauga County Circuit Court on Thursday morning.

Daystar Assembly of God has become the best known victim in the series of scams dating back to 1998. The total take in the con was more than $4 million.

Nancilu Davis Carpenter, Donald Cayton and Leonard Miller each pleaded guilty to a single felony count of theft of property for their role in the fraud. Kelly Vickers and William Paul Till each pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor theft charge.

Elaine Turner and David Gordan will face trial on Aug. 18.

Those who made pleas will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Ben Fuller on Sept. 11.

Both the district attorney's office and the Alabama Securities Commission recommended probation in each of the pleas.

"Sometimes to do the work of the angels, you have to dance with the devil," said District Attorney Randall Houston. "Those who pled guilty today have all cooperated in the investigation. We may be recommending probation, but sentencing is left up to the court."

Fuller pointedly told the co-defendants it was his job to determine sentencing before any pleas were accepted.

"If anyone promised you probation, they have made you a promise they don't have the ability to enforce," he said. "I may give probation, I may not. I will make that decision at a later time."

The scam with the church involved the sale of bogus bonds to finance a large worship center, which would have included a restaurant and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The mortgage on the church was foreclosed and the congregation was dissolved.

Former members of Daystar have formed another church, New Horizons, which meets in the old Wal-Mart location in Prattville.

Billy Glover, superintendent for the Alabama District Council of the Assemblies of God, has repeatedly declined to comment on the Daystar case. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

"I'm glad this is beginning to get behind us; it's a sad situation," said Jamie Lawrence, who sometimes attended services at Daystar before news of the scam broke. "We never bought any bonds, because we weren't church members. I just think it's terrible someone would use their supposed faith in God to take advantage of people."