Financial Crime News 03/10/2023
Mar 11, 2023(March 10) Woman Accused Of Stealing $180K From Rochester Church Agrees To Pay $250K Restitution | Rochester, MN
A woman accused of embezzling about $183,000 from a Rochester church pleaded guilty to 8 of 12 charges and agreed to pay more than $251,000 in restitution Thursday, March 9.
Patricia Radich, 64, was accused of eight counts of theft by swindle and four counts of theft between 2016 and 2019, after Trinity Lutheran Church held a fundraiser and raised about $1.5 million for renovations in the fall of 2015.
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(March 9) Bell County Sheriff’s Office Looking For Suspect Who Stole From Local Church | Bell County, KY
Officials with the Bell County Sheriff’s Department (BCSD) are asking the public for help in tracking down items that were stolen from a local church.
Staff with the Faith Temple Church in Middlesboro reported four large flower pots were stolen from the front of the church between March 4 and March 7.
Officials estimated the value of the stolen items to be around $1,000
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(March 7) Catalytic Converters Stolen From Church Vans| Angier, NC
A western Johnston County church was the victim of a recent theft. A member of the Piney Grove Baptist Church, at 4440 Piney Grove Church Road, Angier, discovered March 3 someone had stolen catalytic converters from two church vans.
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(March 7) Man Facing Charges After Stealing Church Bell From Squirrel Hill Cemetery | Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh police arrested a man they said stole a church bell from a Squirrel Hill cemetery in February.
According to police, the bell, valued at around $2,000, belonged to Turner Cemetery and was stolen on Feb. 12. It was later found on a hillside in St. Clair Village.
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(March 3) Police Arrest Florida Pastor For Allegedly Defrauding Church To Fund Drug Habit | Pompano Beach, FL
A Florida pastor was arrested Tuesday on charges of defrauding his church to fund his drug use.
New Jerusalem Baptist Church Pastor James Edward Smith II, 49, of Pompano Beach, Florida, was arrested on multiple charges related to stealing and selling church property for $600,000, WIOD reported. An investigation into Smith started in April 2020 after his parishioners and church founders complained that he had fraudulently gained control over the church and its funds.
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