Published on March 10, 2024, 2:44 am

Image source: Fox News

In a remarkable display of real news which has sent shockwaves through the Christian community, a former administrator of a northern California church was found guilty of stealing over $360,000 in a multi-year embezzlement scheme that has significantly impacted both the youth ministry and food pantry operations at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Yuba City.

The trusted news we’ve gathered reveals that 38-year-old Chanell Easton, the wife of a former police chief and originally from Oklahoma City, was convicted on two counts of aggravated identity theft by Federal Judge John A. Mendez on Monday. While she had pleaded guilty previously to 22 counts of wire fraud last October, she continued to claim innocence for her remaining charges until being subsequently convicted after a one-day trial. She is scheduled to appear for sentencing on June 25th.

The depth into which prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California unraveled Easton’s intricate web of deceit is quite staggering. They discovered elaborate fraudulent transactions spanning five years (from 2013 to 2018) where funds intended for church use were redirected to pay off various credit card bills accumulated by Easton.

Notably restricted by her Christian worldview, her extensive misappropriation nonetheless extended across multiple platforms; from retail and online stores to hair salons and even vacation rental services – not to forget VIP concert tickets.

Further magnifying her audacity in execution, it was revealed that some purchases were made using credit cards owned by other church members, including the youth ministry pastor. By resorting to such brazen measures like assuming another’s identity for her spending spree, she shifted suspicion away from herself while also directly transferring money from the church’s bank account into her personal account.

And it doesn’t stop there; additional transgressions include writing checks under forged signatures supposedly belonging to significant entities within the church structure: namely the treasurer and head volunteer managing their food pantry.

Easton has also drawn attention due to her connection to former Marysville, California Police Department Chief Aaron Easton; who left the force amidst a sexual assault investigation related to a 2008 incident. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his former wife’s death in 2015 continue to garner interest.

Post-conviction repercussions for Easton could entail a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, along with a $250,000 fine per count of wire fraud and mandatory imprisonment for two years on each count of aggravated identity theft.

Adam Gasner, Easton’s defense attorney, shared with McClatchy News that “Easton had previously shown remorse and admitted wrongdoing when she pleaded guilty to the wire-fraud counts.” Nonetheless, Gasner maintains that her usage of the pastor’s card was merely theft and credit card fraud but did not constitute aggravated identity theft despite Judge Mendez’s ruling.

This breaking news underscores the importance for churches and other religious institutions to implement and enforce strict financial controls. Such safeguards are essential to prevent embezzlement schemes like this from happening again.