A Fernandina Beach church that thought it knew exactly where every dollar was going is now watching the courts try to claw some of that money back. A judge has ordered Melissa Ganey English, the former financial secretary at Amelia Baptist Church, to start repaying $20,000 after deputies say she quietly siphoned more than $570,000 from the congregation over several years. The court gave her 60 days to make the initial payment and signaled that more restitution could be ordered later. Investigators say the alleged scheme ran from January 2019 through October 2024 and has left the church shaken.
According to News4JAX, a judge on June 3 ordered English to pay $20,000 in restitution to Amelia Baptist Church within 60 days and noted that additional restitution could be imposed later. News4JAX also reported that fully satisfying restitution is a required condition of any probation or parole in the case, with failure to pay potentially triggering a revocation of supervision.
How Investigators Say The Money Vanished
The financial unraveling started in October 2024, when two newly appointed members of the church’s financial committee dug into bank records and noticed holes in the numbers that no spreadsheet could explain away. As reported by Jacksonville Today, detectives followed the trail and say they found hundreds of thousands of dollars tied to a church credit card issued to English, along with unauthorized payroll payments. Investigators say the suspicious charges included Amazon and Walmart purchases, tickets to SeaWorld and concerts, hotel stays, airline flights, cruises, Airbnb rentals and even a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon.
Timeline, Arrest And Felony Charge
According to Nassau County deputies, English had served as Amelia Baptist’s financial secretary for roughly 11 years, and the alleged thefts totaled more than $570,000 from 2019 through 2024. A warrant issued on March 25, 2025 led to her detention in Baker County. She is charged with grand theft over $100,000, which is classified as a first-degree felony, News4JAX reported. “This is a significant breach of trust that has deeply impacted the church community,” Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said.
Pastor And Congregation Grapple With Fallout
Pastor Forrest Jones told church members that the discovery of the alleged embezzlement was “incredibly hurtful and difficult” and said leadership worked closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation, according to ChurchLeaders. The church also brought in an outside contractor to conduct an audit of transactions from 2019 through 2024 as it tries to pin down the full scope of the reported losses.
What Restitution Looks Like Under Florida Law
Under Florida law, theft of $100,000 or more is treated as grand theft in the first degree. The thresholds and penalties are detailed in F.S. 812.014. State law also requires courts to order restitution for losses caused by criminal conduct and allows that restitution to be made a condition of probation or parole, with tools such as civil enforcement and income-deduction orders available if payments are not made, as outlined in F.S. 775.089. Those provisions give Amelia Baptist both criminal and civil avenues to pursue recovery of the missing funds.
The new restitution order is the latest turn in a case local outlets have tracked since English’s arrest. Reporting has noted that a trial date was scheduled for April 2026, and upcoming hearings or court filings could determine whether additional restitution or penalties are imposed and how much of the alleged losses, if any, ultimately make their way back to the church, according to Nassau NewsLine.
