A former Florida bookkeeper has been sentenced for siphoning off funds from a Georgia church and its charity organization. Judith Alane Chavis, 58, from Sorrento, Florida, was handed a 21-month concurrent sentence for each count of wire fraud and money laundering, on Tuesday, after embezzling over $173,500, reports The United States Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Georgia.
Acting upon her role as the bookkeeper for Glory Church of Alapaha and the Peanut Butter and Jesus Outreach, Chavis exploited her access to reroute federal loan money intended for the church's operations and community charity into her personal account; "Individuals who use places of worship and charitable organizations for their fraud and theft will be rooted out and face consequences for their criminal actions," Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker emphasized in the aftermath of the prosecution, as noted by the press release.
The crime occurred over a period marked by desperation for many organizations, as Chavis took advantage of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) under false pretenses, according to court documents. Chavis submitted unauthorized requests using the church's letterhead and fraudulently obtained advances, reallocating the funds for personal indulgences, including travel and hefty purchases.
As a part of the federal conviction, Chavis faces three years of supervised release following her prison term and has been mandated to repay the stolen amount in full. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta, Paul Brown, has said that the sentence should serve as a warning to others who might exploit the trust of faith-based or charitable institutions for personal enrichment.
The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI Atlanta’s Valdosta Resident Agency.
