Financial Crime News 03/03/2023
Mar 04, 2023(March 02) South Florida Pastor Arrested, Accused Of Stealing From His Flock | Pompano Beach, FL
A church pastor is accused of filing fake records to take over a church property, which he then sold for $600,000 to support his drug habit, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested James Edward Smith II, 49, of Lauderhill, on Tuesday. Smith was the pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Pompano Beach, which also goes by New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Pompano Beach. He began that role in 2011 until he was fired in December 2021, according to the probable cause affidavit.
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(March 01) Thieves Break Into Cars At Church During Worship | Memphis, TN
While a congregation worshipped together in a church, thieves were outside the building breaking into cars to steal items.
Memphis Police report that two unknown males driving a stolen four-door Kia parked at Breath of Life Christian Center at 3729 Frayser-Raleigh Road around 11 a.m. on Feb. 26.
The same suspects, police say, also burglarized cars at Holy City Church, at 3200 James Road.
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(February 27) Virgin Mary Statue Stolen From Darnestown Church Recovered By Bethesda House Of Worship | Bethesda, MD
A statue of the Virgin Mary that was stolen from outside a Montgomery County church earlier this month has been recovered by a nearby house of worship.
The statue was stolen Friday, February 10 from the Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church on Seneca Road in Darnestown, Maryland. After it was stolen, police released surveillance footage showing two suspects taking the statue.
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(February 27) Plot To Steal $2M In Church Checks Leads To Rockville Man's Conviction | Greenbelt, MD
A former bank employee from Rockville was convicted for his role in a scheme to steal nearly $2 million in checks mailed to churches.
A 29-year-old Rockville man was convicted in federal court on Friday for his role in a bank fraud scheme aimed at stealing nearly $2 million in checks mailed to churches and other religious institutions, according to court documents.
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(February 27) Man Charged In Connection With Theft Of Boy Scout Trailer In Maryland Heights | MO
Scott Stout, a 29-year-old St. Louis man, was charged Monday with one count of felony stealing in connection with the Feb. 14 incident on the parking lot of Maryland Heights Church of Christ.
The church's security cameras were rolling around 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 when police say the men pulled up in a light Chevy Blazer and stole a trailer that belonged to Boy Scout Troop 283.
According to charging documents, Maryland Heights police received tips pointing them to Stout, but they could not find him at his last known address. Maryland Heights officers later found him living in Ferguson out of his vehicle, which matched the description of the car suspected in the theft.
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