The former treasurer accused of embezzling more than $320,000 from the Antioch Baptist Church in rural Hannibal has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Court records show that Donald R. White, 70, of Hannibal, entered the plea Friday. He is set to be sentenced April 2 in U.S. District Court.
A federal grand jury indicted White last March on two counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleged that White embezzled about $320,888 from the church for his personal benefit and the benefit of others. White was treasurer of the church from January 1994 through December 2016 and reportedly wrote most of the checks from the church's checking account and made the vast majority of all deposits without approval or oversight from other church members.
The charges allege that White wrote a check from the church's checking account to Walmart for $350 on April 19, 2016, and another check from the account to Fidelity Investments for $3,000, both for his personal benefit.
An investigation started after the Dec. 20, 2016, fire that destroyed the church. The fire was deemed suspicious in nature.
After White's arrest on March 9, Ralls County Sheriff Gerry Dinwiddie said White was suspected of being involved in a large-scale theft of church funds just before the fire.
White remains free after posting $10,000 bond.
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