Pastor stole $200K from Oxnard church whereas its founder was dying

A former assistant pastor at an Oxnard church admitted to stealing $200,000 from the home of worship — whereas the congregation’s founder was on his deathbed — and spending the cash on flights, a telephone and a brand new Tennessee house, authorities mentioned.

On Friday, Curtis Frank Lemons, 68, was sentenced to 2 years in state jail for misappropriating funds from New Progressive Christian Baptist Church in Oxnard, based on the Ventura County district legal professional’s workplace.

In December 2020, Lemons issued himself a $200,000 cashier’s test from a checking account belonging to the church, authorities mentioned. He then moved from Camarillo to Atoka, Tenn., and spent the stolen funds on airline tickets, dental work, a brand new automotive, a brand new mobile phone and property between January and April 2021, prosecutors mentioned.

Lemons carried out his scheme whereas the tight-knit baptist group was contending each with the ultimate months of lifetime of its founder, the Rev. Jesse James Taylor, and the challenges of delivering distant prayer in the course of the pandemic, Ventura County Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Howard Smart instructed The Instances.

Taylor used cash he made in Oxnard actual property to assist help the church and construct a group of worship for family and friends, mentioned Smart, who prosecuted the case. A good portion of the stolen $200,000 got here from the reverend’s personal pockets.

“Mr. Lemons stole from a weak sufferer at a weak time,” Smart mentioned in a press release. “The patriarch of the church was close to dying when this occurred … Mr. Lemons made a horrible resolution however has accepted duty for his vital theft.”

Taylor, who was affectionately referred to as “Uncle Rev.,” based the church in 1963 alongside his spouse Lura Dell Taylor, based on his obituary. He died in August 2021 at age 87.

The Oxnard Police Division investigated the theft after it was reported by a member of the church. Lemons initially instructed police that he had given the cash to charity, nevertheless monetary data later revealed that he had spent the cash on private bills, Smart mentioned.

In April, Lemons pleaded responsible to 2 counts of grand theft and one rely of cash laundering.