Former bookkeeper charged with embezzling from Botetourt church
A former church bookkeeper has been charged with embezzling more than $10,000 from Cave Rock Baptist Church in Troutville.
Stephanie Everett, 42, was named in eight embezzlement indictments returned this week by a grand jury in Botetourt County Circuit Court. The charges came after the sheriff’s office began an investigation in September of suspicious withdrawals, ATM transactions and debit card purchases “that are not typical of church business,” according to search warrants used in the case. Some of the purchases were from a lingerie store, a sporting goods store, a cellphone provider, a nutritional and weight management company, department stores and “numerous transactions at different restaurants,” the warrants stated. |
Monday, December 12, 2016
Former bookkeeper charged with embezzling from Botetourt church
Former bookkeeper charged with embezzling from Botetourt church |
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Former Savannah pastor pleads guilty in church embezzlement case
The Rev. Corey MeGill Brown on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court in Brunswick to a single mail-fraud charge in the alleged embezzlement of more than $200,000 from Savannah’s Second African Baptist Church where he was senior pastor.
Brown, 47, told U.S. District Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood he was pleading guilty to the charge because he was, in fact, guilty.
The count he pleaded to involved a $540 check, dated June 11, 2013, and payable to Second African Baptist Church from Hattie Scott for her June tithe. Scott, who had moved to San Antonio, mailed the tithe through her son, David, according to evidence presented at the hearing.
Brown, who did not inform church officers of the account, largely “created, controlled and used” the account, evidence showed.
As part of Brown’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie Bourne told Wood the government would dismiss the remaining charges in the 64-count indictment. He said prosecutors would not pursue a forfeiture count in the indictment, but that Brown would be held accountable for restitution to the victims for the full sum identified in the indictment.
Several victims appeared in court, but none chose to make any statements during the court session.
Wood accepted the guilty plea and allowed Brown to remain free on his $20,000 unsecured bond pending sentencing at an undetermined date.
Federal probation officers will prepare a presentencing investigation and a recommended sentencing range for Wood’s consideration. While Brown pleaded guilty to only one count, the total criminal activity cited in the indictment may be used in determining his sentencing guidelines.
Bourne indicated the government sentencing recommendation would not exceed 28 months as “appropriate” for the case. Also as part of the plea agreement, the government is suggesting a two-level reduction in the recommended sentencing guidelines because Brown was accepting responsibility for the criminal conduct.
Wood is not bound by either the probation nor the government’s recommendation.
Brown, appearing in court with his attorney Tom Withers, told Wood he had been a pastor at Second African for 16 years. His comments were limited to responses to Wood’s questions.
Brown earlier pleaded not guilty to charges in a second indictment that added 16 counts of money laundering to an earlier indictment for mail and wire fraud.
The change of plea to guilty came just weeks before Brown was scheduled for a jury trial on Dec. 13 before Wood in Savannah.
Bourne said the scheme involved an account that Brown opened at SunTrust Bank in 2005 under the name of “Second African Baptist Church, Roman 12 Ministries” where his was the sole signature.
That account was used to deposit tithes and offerings from church members, many of whom were shut-ins or ill.
Another victim identified in court, “Coach” Floyd Morris, made monthly tithes and offerings in excess of $1,200, which Brown would go by and pick up before depositing them into the Romans 12 account, evidence showed.
Brown would then use that fund for personal items or expenses at Savannah restaurants or businesses. In several instances he deposited some of the funds into his personal accounts or used an ATM to withdraw the money, evidence showed.
Savannah-Chatham police officer Kenneth Whitcomb, who was working with an FBI task force, said a church trustee, armed with documents, “knocked on the door” at the FBI office and tipped off the two-year-long probe.
The indictment, filed in court on May 3, charges that he opened an account in March 2005, without informing church leaders.
Brown would then write checks to himself using the account and spend the funds on personal items, according to the indictment. Purchases listed in the indictment were made from retailers such as Victoria’s Secret, On Time Fashions and the Saddleback Leather Company.
Further, the indictment charges he concealed his activities from church elders, trustees or board members.
Brown had served as a chaplain for the Savannah-Chatham police department from 2010 through 2014, and at one time had an office in the department’s Habersham Street headquarters as the coordinator of that program.
His role as a chaplain ended immediately after the department became aware of the investigation in December 2014, according to police officials in a statement they released.
Brown, 47, told U.S. District Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood he was pleading guilty to the charge because he was, in fact, guilty.
The count he pleaded to involved a $540 check, dated June 11, 2013, and payable to Second African Baptist Church from Hattie Scott for her June tithe. Scott, who had moved to San Antonio, mailed the tithe through her son, David, according to evidence presented at the hearing.
Brown, who did not inform church officers of the account, largely “created, controlled and used” the account, evidence showed.
As part of Brown’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie Bourne told Wood the government would dismiss the remaining charges in the 64-count indictment. He said prosecutors would not pursue a forfeiture count in the indictment, but that Brown would be held accountable for restitution to the victims for the full sum identified in the indictment.
Several victims appeared in court, but none chose to make any statements during the court session.
Wood accepted the guilty plea and allowed Brown to remain free on his $20,000 unsecured bond pending sentencing at an undetermined date.
Federal probation officers will prepare a presentencing investigation and a recommended sentencing range for Wood’s consideration. While Brown pleaded guilty to only one count, the total criminal activity cited in the indictment may be used in determining his sentencing guidelines.
Bourne indicated the government sentencing recommendation would not exceed 28 months as “appropriate” for the case. Also as part of the plea agreement, the government is suggesting a two-level reduction in the recommended sentencing guidelines because Brown was accepting responsibility for the criminal conduct.
Wood is not bound by either the probation nor the government’s recommendation.
Brown, appearing in court with his attorney Tom Withers, told Wood he had been a pastor at Second African for 16 years. His comments were limited to responses to Wood’s questions.
Brown earlier pleaded not guilty to charges in a second indictment that added 16 counts of money laundering to an earlier indictment for mail and wire fraud.
The change of plea to guilty came just weeks before Brown was scheduled for a jury trial on Dec. 13 before Wood in Savannah.
Bourne said the scheme involved an account that Brown opened at SunTrust Bank in 2005 under the name of “Second African Baptist Church, Roman 12 Ministries” where his was the sole signature.
That account was used to deposit tithes and offerings from church members, many of whom were shut-ins or ill.
Another victim identified in court, “Coach” Floyd Morris, made monthly tithes and offerings in excess of $1,200, which Brown would go by and pick up before depositing them into the Romans 12 account, evidence showed.
Brown would then use that fund for personal items or expenses at Savannah restaurants or businesses. In several instances he deposited some of the funds into his personal accounts or used an ATM to withdraw the money, evidence showed.
Savannah-Chatham police officer Kenneth Whitcomb, who was working with an FBI task force, said a church trustee, armed with documents, “knocked on the door” at the FBI office and tipped off the two-year-long probe.
The indictment, filed in court on May 3, charges that he opened an account in March 2005, without informing church leaders.
Brown would then write checks to himself using the account and spend the funds on personal items, according to the indictment. Purchases listed in the indictment were made from retailers such as Victoria’s Secret, On Time Fashions and the Saddleback Leather Company.
Further, the indictment charges he concealed his activities from church elders, trustees or board members.
Brown had served as a chaplain for the Savannah-Chatham police department from 2010 through 2014, and at one time had an office in the department’s Habersham Street headquarters as the coordinator of that program.
His role as a chaplain ended immediately after the department became aware of the investigation in December 2014, according to police officials in a statement they released.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Iredell man sentenced in $9 million embezzlement from Christian school
A Mooresville man will spend five years in a federal prison for taking $9 million from a Huntersville school and its affiliated church for his own personal use.
Wayne C. Parker Jr., 57, was found guilty this week of embezzlement by U.S. District Court Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr., according to a press release from the office of Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Parker was sentenced to 60 months in prison, along with three months of supervised probation.
Parker must also pay $6 million in restitution in addition to the $3 million he’s already paid back, the release said.
For about 14 years, Parker took the money from bank funds at the church and school, which has been identified in past media reports as Southlake Christian Academy.
Parker used the money for personal bills, a boat, gold and silver coins and a $1.2 million lake house.
To pay for the house, Parker made all of the employees take a 5 percent pay cut, which he claimed was due to the economy, the release said.
Parker opened about 29 checking accounts, used six credit cards, took out seven loans and created nine limited liability companies to try and hide his scheme. He also made up a false, fictitious report from an accounting firm to show the school had been audited and used an unqualified letter to indicate it had a clean financial bill of health.
To further hide his crime after a church leader became suspicious and called for an independent audit, Parker destroyed school financial records and sold a house he built with the stolen money to one of his children, the release said.
The investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Huntersville Police Department.
Wayne C. Parker Jr., 57, was found guilty this week of embezzlement by U.S. District Court Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr., according to a press release from the office of Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Parker was sentenced to 60 months in prison, along with three months of supervised probation.
Parker must also pay $6 million in restitution in addition to the $3 million he’s already paid back, the release said.
For about 14 years, Parker took the money from bank funds at the church and school, which has been identified in past media reports as Southlake Christian Academy.
Parker used the money for personal bills, a boat, gold and silver coins and a $1.2 million lake house.
To pay for the house, Parker made all of the employees take a 5 percent pay cut, which he claimed was due to the economy, the release said.
Parker opened about 29 checking accounts, used six credit cards, took out seven loans and created nine limited liability companies to try and hide his scheme. He also made up a false, fictitious report from an accounting firm to show the school had been audited and used an unqualified letter to indicate it had a clean financial bill of health.
To further hide his crime after a church leader became suspicious and called for an independent audit, Parker destroyed school financial records and sold a house he built with the stolen money to one of his children, the release said.
The investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Huntersville Police Department.
Friday, December 9, 2016
Court appearance today for ex-principal charged with embezzlement
The former principal of a Minneapolis elementary school charged with embezzlement has a first court appearance today. Prosecutors say 55-year-old Anne DePerry used a school district credit card for more than 11 thousand dollars in personal purchases, plus another five thousand dollars that’s unaccounted for or suspicious. Authorities say DePerry told auditors she must have accidentally used the wrong credit card and offered to reimburse 17-hundred dollars — but investigators found additional charges and noted that DePerry would have had to use the school district’s system to approve the charges — something that would have been unlikely by mistake. DePerry was principal at Whittier International School and resigned in November 2015.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Former Priest Guilty of Embezzlement
The former priest at Vancouver, Washington's, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church who stole thousands of dollars from the parish was sentenced Thursday to 40 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $35,000 in restitution.
Armando Sosa Perez, 56, pleaded guilty in September in Clark County Superior Court to three counts of first-degree theft. He stole an estimated $50,000 from the church at 8701 N.E. 119th St. between July 2011 and September 2014, court records show. However, the Archdiocese of Seattle settled on a restitution amount of $35,179.83, the prosecution said.
Deputy Prosecutor Aaron Bartlett said Perez skimmed money from baptismal fees and collection plates, and abused the parish's business debit and credit cards to make substantial personal purchases. The majority of the stolen money came from Hispanic parishioners, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Perez was assigned to the St. John parish in July 2003 but transferred in July 2014 to a parish in Renton, the affidavit states.
After he left, a bookkeeper for St. John raised concerns about Perez's financial practices. The Archdiocese of Seattle commissioned a forensic accountant to conduct the parish's annual audit and discovered the misuse of funds, court records said.
Perez reportedly didn't follow the protocol for collecting and securing offerings, specifically for the Spanish Mass, which is the parish's largest Mass. He used the parish's credit card to pay for meals and a trip to visit his father in California, despite receiving a stipend for meals. The bookkeeper said she suspected he also stole fees or donations for baptisms and weddings, because after he left that revenue significantly increased, according to court documents.
Tiffany Couch of Acuity Forensics estimated a loss of $50,050.13 as a result of debit and credit card misuse, skimming of fees, the loss of a parish vehicle and payments to Perez, court records said. The loss of the vehicle was determined to be a civil matter.
The parish's current priest, The Rev. Tom Belleque, told detectives that since he's lived at the rectory, there have been fliers delivered from casinos addressed to Perez, the affidavit states.
On Thursday, Bartlett argued that Perez should be sentenced to six months in jail, in addition to paying restitution. He based his argument on the length of time Perez stole from the church and his position of trust.
"The parishioners didn't know they were funding his pocketbooks," Bartlett said.
He argued that Perez shouldn't receive special treatment simply because his victims were forgiving and understanding.
"Forgiveness is great, but this isn't just about forgiveness. That's not what the justice systems sets out to do," Bartlett said.
Perez's attorney, Mark Muenster, asked that his client be granted the first-time offender sentencing option, which carries a penalty of zero to 90 days, rather than the standard range of three to nine months. He said he takes "violent disagreement" with the prosecution's argument of special treatment.
Muenster asked that Perez receive no jail time, arguing that incarceration would not be a deterrent for re-offending and would cost Clark County taxpayers about $15,000 for a six-month sentence.
"I apologize. I am sorry for my theft. That's what it was," Perez told the judge. He said it's taken him nearly two years, the length of the case, to realize what he had done. He said the real question isn't whether he stole the money but rather why.
Perez underwent four months of treatment, he said, and lost a lot because of his actions. He said he was told by the archbishop that he will never be a pastor again.
Judge Derek Vanderwood agreed that he thinks Perez makes a good candidate for the first-time offender option but said he didn't think no jail time would be appropriate. He settled on 40 days, a little less than the middle of the range. He denied the defense's request for community service instead.
Perez, who currently lives in Seattle, will surrender to the Clark County Jail on Nov. 17.
Perez became an ordained priest in 2002, and his first pastorship was at St. John. He was placed on administrative leave Dec. 5, 2014, according to a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Armando Sosa Perez, 56, pleaded guilty in September in Clark County Superior Court to three counts of first-degree theft. He stole an estimated $50,000 from the church at 8701 N.E. 119th St. between July 2011 and September 2014, court records show. However, the Archdiocese of Seattle settled on a restitution amount of $35,179.83, the prosecution said.
Deputy Prosecutor Aaron Bartlett said Perez skimmed money from baptismal fees and collection plates, and abused the parish's business debit and credit cards to make substantial personal purchases. The majority of the stolen money came from Hispanic parishioners, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Perez was assigned to the St. John parish in July 2003 but transferred in July 2014 to a parish in Renton, the affidavit states.
After he left, a bookkeeper for St. John raised concerns about Perez's financial practices. The Archdiocese of Seattle commissioned a forensic accountant to conduct the parish's annual audit and discovered the misuse of funds, court records said.
Perez reportedly didn't follow the protocol for collecting and securing offerings, specifically for the Spanish Mass, which is the parish's largest Mass. He used the parish's credit card to pay for meals and a trip to visit his father in California, despite receiving a stipend for meals. The bookkeeper said she suspected he also stole fees or donations for baptisms and weddings, because after he left that revenue significantly increased, according to court documents.
Tiffany Couch of Acuity Forensics estimated a loss of $50,050.13 as a result of debit and credit card misuse, skimming of fees, the loss of a parish vehicle and payments to Perez, court records said. The loss of the vehicle was determined to be a civil matter.
The parish's current priest, The Rev. Tom Belleque, told detectives that since he's lived at the rectory, there have been fliers delivered from casinos addressed to Perez, the affidavit states.
On Thursday, Bartlett argued that Perez should be sentenced to six months in jail, in addition to paying restitution. He based his argument on the length of time Perez stole from the church and his position of trust.
"The parishioners didn't know they were funding his pocketbooks," Bartlett said.
He argued that Perez shouldn't receive special treatment simply because his victims were forgiving and understanding.
"Forgiveness is great, but this isn't just about forgiveness. That's not what the justice systems sets out to do," Bartlett said.
Perez's attorney, Mark Muenster, asked that his client be granted the first-time offender sentencing option, which carries a penalty of zero to 90 days, rather than the standard range of three to nine months. He said he takes "violent disagreement" with the prosecution's argument of special treatment.
Muenster asked that Perez receive no jail time, arguing that incarceration would not be a deterrent for re-offending and would cost Clark County taxpayers about $15,000 for a six-month sentence.
"I apologize. I am sorry for my theft. That's what it was," Perez told the judge. He said it's taken him nearly two years, the length of the case, to realize what he had done. He said the real question isn't whether he stole the money but rather why.
Perez underwent four months of treatment, he said, and lost a lot because of his actions. He said he was told by the archbishop that he will never be a pastor again.
Judge Derek Vanderwood agreed that he thinks Perez makes a good candidate for the first-time offender option but said he didn't think no jail time would be appropriate. He settled on 40 days, a little less than the middle of the range. He denied the defense's request for community service instead.
Perez, who currently lives in Seattle, will surrender to the Clark County Jail on Nov. 17.
Perez became an ordained priest in 2002, and his first pastorship was at St. John. He was placed on administrative leave Dec. 5, 2014, according to a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Ex-Northside High School football coach faces embezzlement charges
A Roanoke County grand jury indicted former Northside High School football coach Burt Torrence on Friday on charges of embezzlement dating back to 2012, according to online court records.
Torrence, hired last summer as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School, was indicted on four counts of embezzlement of public funds, four counts of embezzlement and four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, online records show. All of the charges are felonies.
The offense dates, according to online records, range from February 2012 to February 2015.
The commonwealth's attorney, Randy Leach, declined to comment Friday. A schools spokesman, Chuck Lionberger, said the district does not comment on personnel matters, pending legal matters or pending investigations.
Torrence, who coached at Northside for 10 years and won two state championships, resigned his coaching position earlier this year. In April, he told the Roanoke County School Board that he collected a stipend to coach outdoor track but didn't complete the work. He volunteered to repay the stipends. A police investigation began the next day.
In an interview in June, Torrence backed away from his April comments, saying he did not admit wrongdoing when he spoke to the school board. His attorney, Les Bowers, said in June that Torrence was innocent.
"He, in fact, is completely innocent and has maintained his innocence all along," Bowers said in June. "My understanding ... is he said, 'If anyone thinks I did anything wrong, I'll pay it back.' But he doesn't think that he did [anything wrong]. ... We're not talking about a big amount of money."
Reached late Friday afternoon, Bowers said he was just seeing the news and was not yet prepared to comment.
Torrence was hired by Lynchburg City Schools to teach history and serve as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School beginning in August. Spokeswoman Cindy Babb said Torrence has been placed on administrative leave.
Torrence, hired last summer as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School, was indicted on four counts of embezzlement of public funds, four counts of embezzlement and four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, online records show. All of the charges are felonies.
The offense dates, according to online records, range from February 2012 to February 2015.
The commonwealth's attorney, Randy Leach, declined to comment Friday. A schools spokesman, Chuck Lionberger, said the district does not comment on personnel matters, pending legal matters or pending investigations.
Torrence, who coached at Northside for 10 years and won two state championships, resigned his coaching position earlier this year. In April, he told the Roanoke County School Board that he collected a stipend to coach outdoor track but didn't complete the work. He volunteered to repay the stipends. A police investigation began the next day.
In an interview in June, Torrence backed away from his April comments, saying he did not admit wrongdoing when he spoke to the school board. His attorney, Les Bowers, said in June that Torrence was innocent.
"He, in fact, is completely innocent and has maintained his innocence all along," Bowers said in June. "My understanding ... is he said, 'If anyone thinks I did anything wrong, I'll pay it back.' But he doesn't think that he did [anything wrong]. ... We're not talking about a big amount of money."
Reached late Friday afternoon, Bowers said he was just seeing the news and was not yet prepared to comment.
Torrence was hired by Lynchburg City Schools to teach history and serve as an assistant football coach at Heritage High School beginning in August. Spokeswoman Cindy Babb said Torrence has been placed on administrative leave.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Jury finds Albuquerque teacher guilty on embezzlement charges
After deliberating, a jury finds a middle school teacher facing embezzlement charges guilty on all counts.
KRQE News 13 investigative reporter Larry Barker reported about about William Kalinowski in 2013.
He was charged with ten counts of fraud and embezzlement. Thursday in court, both sides presented closing arguments.
Kalinowski was a popular contractor, Santa Fe’s go-to guy for custom home building. But his award winning reputation soured after millions of dollars disappeared and construction projects were abandoned.
Some victims were cheated out of their life savings.
Despite the charges, Albuquerque Public Schools hired Kalinowski to teach at LBJ Middle School.
Kalinowski faces up to 82 years behind bars.
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