A former administrator at a Northern California church has been found guilty of two counts of aggravated identity theft. Chanell Easton, 38, was indicted in 2022 on those charges plus 22 counts of wire fraud.
According to federal prosecutors, Easton embezzled more than $360,000 from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Yuba City, California, while working there from 2013 to 2018. She pleaded guilty to fraud but not to identity theft. Easton waived her right to a jury trial, and on March 4, a federal judge handed down the guilty ruling.
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Chanell Easton Misused Church Credit Cards
According to the 2022 indictment, “Without the church’s knowledge or authorization, Easton opened five business credit card accounts in the church’s name.” Prosecutors said she used those church credit cards to make personal purchases at a variety of stores, both brick-and-mortar and online.
Easton’s purchases included $900 VIP concert tickets and a $2,000 vacation-home rental. Court documents indicate that she then used church funds to pay off the credit card balances.
In addition, the administrator transferred money directly from the church bank account to her personal account, used church funds to pay for cell phones and cell service, and wrote church checks to herself and to others, for personal expenses. On those checks, prosecutors said, Easton forged the signatures of the church treasurer and a volunteer at the church’s food pantry.
Using a credit card that belonged to the church’s youth minister, Easton bought jewelry, clothing, and shoes—purchases that “had no possible legitimate church-related purposes,” according to court documents. Her defense attorney argued that because other church members were allowed to use the youth minister’s credit card, Easton wasn’t guilty of aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors: Church Provided ‘Little Effective Oversight’
The FBI investigated Chanell Easton’s case. A government brief noted that she “exploited” her position at the church, which provided “little effective oversight” of the employee.
Sentencing is scheduled for June. The former church administrator faces up to 20 years in prison, plus hefty fines for the wire fraud counts.
Experts say most perpetrators of church fraud are first-time offenders without a criminal history, and most are long-time employees of the church. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimates that by 2025, “global embezzlement of giving by Christians might be as high as…$100 billion.”
