When John M. Rusnak was whisked into court last week, there were two people by his side: his lawyer and the Rev. Joe Ehrmann, a towering, white-haired man who has become a spiritual adviser to the currency trader at the center of one of the biggest banking scandals in history.

Ehrmann was one of the first people Rusnak called after Allfirst Financial Inc. accused him of losing $691.2 million and then hiding the losses for five years.

Rusnak, 37, who lives in Mount Washington with his wife and two children, is a religious man. As his case proceeds, Rusnak is finding comfort in religion and doing charitable works, friends and associates say.

Ehrmann is best known as a former All-Pro defensive tackle with the Baltimore Colts and for his foundation, Building Men for Others, which helps disadvantaged youths and their families.

Ehrmann "has been a real spiritual anchor for him in these rough times," said Rusnak's attorney, David B. Irwin. "Regardless of what he [Rusnak] has been through and what he is responsible for, he is going to have to move forward and try to save his family and himself. Joe is in the saving business."

Irwin guided his client to Ehrmann, a gentle giant with large, meaty hands, white hair and a white beard who is a preaching pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium.

Shortly before Feb. 6, when Allfirst revealed the shocking loss, Rusnak met with Irwin. "When he came to me he was crumbling," the attorney said. "I needed to get him either a doctor or a priest. He needed some professional help to keep himself together and his family together."

In addition to attending Grace Fellowship, Rusnak and his wife, Linda, attend Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington, whose pastor, the Rev. Richard E. Cramblitt, has counseled Rusnak, Irwin said.

At Grace Fellowship, a rapidly growing nondenominational evangelical church in Timonium that has swallowed a large furniture warehouse, Ehrmann helps minister to a congregation of about 3,800.

Irwin encouraged his client to meet with Ehrmann.

The meeting would have occurred eventually because Rusnak "had a foundation in religion" and found it easy to sit down with his pastor, Irwin said.

Ehrmann said Rusnak is "extremely remorseful" for his part in the Allfirst debacle.

"He made a mistake; he made a big mistake," Ehrmann said. "This has been a rough process, but I think he is much more at peace with himself than he has been in years. I just think he got squared with God and his wife and his kids. He is willing to take his punishment for the mistake he made."

Rusnak, who was fired from Allfirst with six others employees, has had plenty of time on his hands as he waits for his case to proceed to a conclusion. To fill the hours, he began working closely with Ehrmann.

The two have formed an inner city football league, and Rusnak has worked with the homeless, which allows him to help and maintain his anonymity, Ehrmann said.

"He has been doing a lot of work for me in and around the city since he has been facing this," Ehrmann said.

Rusnak is doing charitable works, but he also has been described as a man who would bully subordinates at Allfirst when he didn't get his way.

Prosecutors say he devised a "complex and sophisticated" scheme to hide losses. Rusnak went to great lengths to cover his tracks, including the creation of a fictitious businessman with a mail drop at a Mail Boxes Etc. in New York to confirm a bogus currency trade with Allfirst's independent auditors.

Last week, Rusnak was indicted on seven counts of bank fraud. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count if convicted.

Lawyers say religion and charitable works go only so far with judges because they must follow federal guidelines that determine the length of a sentence.

"At sentencing, obviously, a judge is going to be looking to see if you have turned your life around," said Christopher B. Mead, a partner at London & Mead in Washington. But there is "very little that a defendant can do to avoid the impact of the guidelines. It would be very rare for a judge to grant a downward departure on charitable works after a defendant has been caught committing a crime."

Robert A. Mintz, head of the white-collar crime and government investigations practice group at McCarter & English LLP in Newark, N.J., said religious conversions are often looked upon by the court with "a degree of skepticism."

"The judge has only a small degree of latitude under the federal sentencing guidelines, which he or she can credit somebody with that type of charitable or religious conduct," Mintz said.

"It is not something that will ultimately play a major role in the sentence."

Ehrmann said Rusnak's repentance is "true and sincere."

"I am sorry he is in the situation. I think it is something that kind of snowballed on him," Ehrmann said. "He is just really filled with pain and remorse for the problems it has caused a lot of people."