A RESPECTED Detroit preacher has sprung to the defense of Star Jones, who’s being maligned in Motown for supposedly ripping off a local charity and not showing at its 2006 “empowerment” event.

“Star is the victim here,” says the Rev. Horace Sheffield, who claims his own nonprofit, the Detroit Association of Black Organizations, was duped by the woman making accusations against Jones. Last week, Jones was portrayed on Detroit’s WXYZ-TV as a diva who reneged on a deal to make a ...