Arrest made in Georgia church embezzlement case

A former church secretary has been arrested and charged with 332 counts of theft by taking in reference to alleged embezzlement.

On May 12, the Haralson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Dawn Taylor Robinson, 40, of 7345 Hwy. 120, Buchanan, in connection to an alleged financial fraud complaint logged in February by Victory Fellowship’s Reverend Sidney Garner.
According to the complaint, Garner believes the former member and church secretary of took between $200,000 and $400,000 over a 10-year period.
Robinson was released Thursday afternoon from the Haralson County Jail on a $300,000 bond.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation assisted with the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation may be asked to assist because some of the allegedly stolen money could have been deposited in an Oxford, Ala., bank.
The total amount of money taken has not been determined, and Public Information Officer Jim Beck said more details will come out in the District Attorney’s indictment.
Victory Fellowship of 950 Hwy. 27 North, Bremen, has around 250 members. The money that is missing came out of the church’s general funds, most of which was earmarked for building improvements.
“That pretty much drained the building fund,” Garner said, adding that the church is debt-free and not in any financial danger.
The members of the church have been supportive of the decision to press charges, and Garner said they would like to see restitution in the case. “With that large of an amount of money, you can do a lot of good things, as far as ‘kingdom’ work. There’s a lot of people in need, ministries to be supported, useful things that can be done with that money,” he said