Sheriff: Longtime church official embezzled over $100K in Louisiana

A church secretary in St. Bernard Parish was arrested for what authorities said was systematic embezzlement of more than $100,000 from her church.
Trinette Johnson, 39, is suspected of embezzling more than $100,000 since 2006, the sheriff’s office said.

Church Deacon Ken Jefferson said for at least four years, he's questioned the church finances.

"The savings went up from $115,000, and the checking had $78,000 to start off. Maybe in less than a year, the money dropped to about $30,000," said Jefferson.

By February, Jefferson said he could no longer turn a blind eye.

"After the church was broke, after we had a negative balance, that's when we started investigating what really was going on," said Jefferson.

Jefferson and other church leaders hired an auditor to look into what they suspect was theft of church funds.

Johnson, of Violet, was the longtime church secretary and account executive for the Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Violet.

She surrendered at the parish jail on Friday after she was informed by investigators that a judge had signed an arrest warrant on charges of felony theft by systematic embezzlement.

She was expected to be released on bond set at $10,000, the sheriff’s office sai


According to investigators, Johnson is accused of systematically misappropriating $101,872 of church funds since Aug. 16, 2006.

"There was a lot of double payments, writing a check for one thing, and then turn around and do a check for reimbursement for the same thing," said Elder Stacy Riley Jr.

At the end of February, the sheriff's office said it was presented a letter signed by 33 members of the church saying the body of the church at Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church wanted to pursue criminal charges in a matter where church funds were missing.

The department was presented with evidence, including a copy of the church banking records going back to March 2006.

"It's not a rich community," said Jefferson. "People are struggling every day paying their bills, but they're still paying their tithes because they believe in what God's word says, and then you take the money that they're putting into the church to better the community. I just feel like she must not believe in God."

Riley said he regrets that the congregation didn’t take more precautions and create more checks and balances with church finances.

"It was basically disheartening to see that a church that's rich in history and tradition in the parish was struggling financially," said Riley.