The case against the father-son scam artists that targeted local church congregations is growing.

Travis Terrell Twitty and his father, David Twitty, are now facing 46 charges of obtaining property by false pretense in Moore County. Until this week, the Twittys faced only one charge of obtaining property by false pretense in the county.

According to investigators, the duo would go to a church when it was holding a service and plead for assistance, claiming to be stranded for one reason or another. In early March, they allegedly told members of one Moore County congregation that a family member had been killed in a car wreck and they were in dire need of money.

The two have been preying on churches for more than 12 years, investigators said.

Capt. Jeff Medlin with the Moore County Sheriff's Office asked in March anyone who had been scammed by the Twittys to come forward.

Evidently, local residents responded, resulting in the additional 45 charges being lodged against both Twittys.

Travis Twitty, 20, is in the Moore County jail, with his bail set at $100,000. The additional charges were lodged against him Thursday. His father, 43, had the additional charges filed earlier this week. The Twittys were originally arrested by Charlotte police in late March. They live in Charlotte.

After the initial publicity about the case, Moore County investigators received information from at least 10 counties in North Carolina that had allegedly been victimized by the duo, including one church in Wake County that reported it was approached by the Twittys more than 18 months ago.

A news release from the United Methodist News Service from 1997 described how the Twittys operate. The Twittys were accused of scamming churches in Georgia at the time. Churches from South Carolina and Virginia have also reported dealings with the Twittys.

Det. Kip Dennis, of the Moore County Sheriff's Office, said that a church in Galax, Va., had supplied some helpful information for the investigation.

The Sheriff's Office is offering to help any other area where the Twittys have allegedly pulled their scams.

"We are happy that the additional people came forward (here)," Dennis said. "We are offering our assistance to any other agencies. We are willing to work with everyone (other law enforcement agencies) we can."

Contact Hunter Chase at 693-2478 or by e-mail at hchase@thepilot.com.