Indiana Woman Embezzles $574k from Parish Church for Gambling, Vacations

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An Indiana woman has been found guilty of embezzling more than half a million dollars from the Catholic parish where she worked as a business manager.

The 72-year-old woman, Marie Carson of Indianapolis, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after 13 years of stealing money from Saint Matthew Catholic Church and School, for which she will spend two years in federal prison.

Carson and her husband reportedly used the embezzled funds for trips to gambling casinos and yearly month-long Florida vacations over the course of more than a decade.

The Department of Justice found that Carson was the only staff member responsible for processing checks received from parishioners and making financial transactions on behalf of the church and school for over a decade.

Carson illegally transferred at least $573,836.59 between 2008 and 2021, the DOJ said, adding the actual theft is probably much higher since Carson admitted to church officials she began to embezzle back in 2004.

The scheme was first uncovered in November 2021 when Carson was on leave and her temporary replacement noticed suspicious transfers from the parish account to an external bank account, the DOJ said.

Investigators later found transactions of over $289,000 moved into several accounts, including a phantom account created in the church’s name.

“For more than thirteen years, this defendant abused her position of trust to embezzle money from parishioners intended for a church and school,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Her greed and desire for lavish vacations outweighed her interest in following the dictates of our criminal laws and the teachings of her church, ‘thou shalt not steal.’”

Myers said that Carson’ sentence sends a “clear message” to those who are considering stealing, defrauding, and embezzlement. “We will find you, you will be prosecuted, and you will be held accountable,” Myers said.

FBI Special Agent Herbert J. Stapleton declared Carson’s scheme was “fueled by pure greed,” adding that she abused trust for personal gain.

In 2022, the pastor of St. Matthew Parish, Father William F. Stumpf, informed his parishioners of the theft by means of an open letter.

“It is with deep sadness to report that these serious events have occurred,” Father Stumpf said.

“Upon discovery of the theft, we enacted new internal accounting controls to provide assurance that all funds are safeguarded,” he said. “We carry Fidelity insurance to cover fraud and theft losses, and we have received payment to cover the documented loss.”

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