A former chief financial officer and executive pastor for Roanoke’s New Century Church, who pleaded no contest to three counts of embezzling funds from the organization, will not have to serve time behind bars.
But William Jared Walters, 33, of Roanoke, is going to have to make regular efforts to pay back $180,000, according to his plea agreement.
About 30 members of the church were on hand Tuesday in Roanoke Circuit Court as Walters entered his pleas and was sentenced.
Roanoke Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Betty Jo Anthony said investigators estimate Walters actually took closer to $239,000, but they settled on $180,000 in exchange for the plea. That’s the amount they could prove, she said.
Walters was with the church from 2007 to 2015, and Anthony said he siphoned cash through check kiting, by using a church credit card to pay off personal debts, and by making loans to himself, often multiple times a day at thousands of dollars each.
Embezzlement is a Class 5 felony that can bring up to 20 years in prison, but Walters received six years total, entirely in suspended time.
“We almost never ask for or agree to no jail time, but this was a specific request of the church,” Anthony said.
Those six years are suspended against restitution, and on Tuesday, Walters paid $8,000 toward the church and also surrendered a $2,000 bond.
He has until August to turn in $12,000 more: $1,000 from his tax refund, $2,000 from a work bonus, $4,000 from real estate he said he is selling on Bent Mountain, and $5,000 from the sale of his car.
That still leaves approximately $158,000 owed, and starting in October he will be required to pay it off in increments of at least $500 a month.
At that rate, it will take a little over 25 years for the church to be made whole. As long as restitution is owed, Walters will remain on probation and could see his suspended time revoked if he misses a payment.
Judge David Carson addressed Walters’ lack of jail time and cautioned Walters that although he intended to honor the will of the victims, the agreement signified Walters’ second chance
“You have received all of those chances today. There will be no third chance,” he told Walters.
Although Walters’ promise of a work bonus indicates he is currently employed, defense attorney Rob Dean said he could not comment on Walters’ job status.
Walters also declined to say anything about the case in court.
In an emailed statement sent after the hearing, Dean wrote, “Mr. Walters maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and continues to do so. Mr. Walters nonetheless desired to resolve this matter so that all parties could move forward.”
After the hearing, New Century associate pastor Thomas Brown stressed that the loss was not just financial, but personal as well.
“He was one of my best friends. I’m the one who hired him,” Brown said of Walters. “We were never seeking out vengeance.
“I think the hardest thing is, no repentance was made. He still maintains his innocence. That’s the hardest thing.”
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