Former pastor allegedly stole $200K from Texas church

The former pastor of a Houston church allegedly stole more than $200,000 from his congregation, according to a report.

Toddrick Deshaun Johnson, 36, has been charged with theft and using deception to secure an executive document relating to stolen parishioner funds from Paradise Missionary Baptist Church, according to court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Johnson, who was hired in 2017, forged the church president’s signature in financial documents and then stashed $201,552 into a secret account, board members alleged in court papers.

The hidden funds went undiscovered until a financial audit in 2018, the newspaper reports.

Johnson then left the church when he was confronted about the missing money and is “no longer returning calls,” court documents show.

Johnson, of Alvin, filed for bankruptcy last month, according to federal court records cited by the newspaper that indicated he has more than $40,000 in student loan debt.

The church’s board president, identified in court papers as Raymond Williams, told investigators he didn’t authorize Johnson or anyone else to open the account in his name, the newspaper reports.

Johnson also “obtained loans and filed false insurance claims” to deposit funds into the account, Williams told police.

The former pastor had not been arrested as of midday Monday, a Houston police spokesman told The Post.

Church officials, meanwhile, could not be reached early Monday to discuss the accusations.

via: https://nypost.com/2020/03/09/former-pastor-allegedly-stole-200k-from-texas-church/

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