Former Grand Rapids church bookkeeper pleads no contest to embezzlement in Michigan

Gerolanita Bailey, the former bookkeeper at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, today pleaded no contest to an embezzlement charge amid accusations she took about $60,000 from the church.
The plea for Bailey, 50, comes about a month after former pastor Arthur Pearson entered a no contest plea to the same charge.
Pearson was accused of taking more than $230,000 by church officials and spending it on clothes, meals, dental expenses, vacation expenses and other non-church related items.
In court today, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Leiber said that auditors accused Bailey of improperly taking almost $60,000 for her benefit.
He noted that $1,700 went for dental bills, $3,600 for Consumers Energy, $8,700 to DTE Energy, $6,100 to Comcast, $7,300 to Sprint, $10,000 for a Capital One credit card and about $18,000 taken in written checks to "cash" or herself.
Pearson is to be sentenced April 4.
Bailey, who pleaded no contest to embezzlement of $50,000 to $100,000, will hear her punishment the following week, on April 11.
In a plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending she receive at least five years of probation and are taking no position on any jail time. Judge Leiber will be left to decide any incarceration.
Outside the courthouse today, Bailey said she was glad the case is nearly finished.
"It's been a very unfortunate event," she said. "We don't want any more hurting. I think the fiber of the church has to heal.
"We're just glad we're going to be moving on," she said.
Prosecutors made a similar recommendation in a plea agreement for Pearson.