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| Offering being given to a Church |
An Alabama Church in the United States had reported an incident of embezzlement by its former financial secretary to the Police and the FBI, a news report by WALA shows.
Sharon Collins, who served as a financial secretary at First Baptist Church of Foley between 2007 and 2019, pleaded guilty to all 12 counts of wire fraud as read by a U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer on Wednesday.
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The Church discovered that she began stealing the Church money in 2008, but it wasn't noticed not until a new pastor, alongside the financial committee, detected that the Church savings of about $100,000 was missing.
U.S. District Judge Terry Moorer read out the 12 counts of wire fraud to Collins on Wednesday, with Collins pleading guilty to them all in a plea agreement that she stole $209,745 via multiple church credit cards. Sentencing is to take place in November and she is likely to face 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Church's investigation discovered that she began stealing the Church money in 2008, but it wasn't noticed not until a new pastor, alongside the financial committee, detected that the Church savings of about $100,000 was missing.
During the investigation, Collins admitted stealing the money and using it for unapproved personal expenses, satellite TV bills, plane trips and even a college degree.
The Church fired Collins in 2019, turned the matter over to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office and the FBI.
In a statement by Pastor Drew Whittington, a Senior Pastor at the Foley Baptist Church, the Church said it took appropriate actions so as to ensure that the household of God doesn't lose its ethical standard.
"We have taken the appropriate steps to uphold the ethical stewardship of God's household," stated Whittington, as quoted by WALA.
"This has been an unfortunate chapter in our history, but we are thankful to put it behind us and focus on being a healthy church that uses our resources to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Whittington mentioned in the statement.
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