While the congregation’s founder was near death, a former assistant pastor of a church in Oxnard confessed to stealing $200,000 from the house of worship and used the funds for travel, a phone, and a new house in Tennessee, according to investigators.
According to the Ventura County district attorney’s office, Curtis Frank Lemons, 68, was given a two-year term in state prison on Friday for embezzling money from Oxnard’s New Progressive Christian Baptist Church.
According to authorities, Lemons wrote himself a $200,000 cashier’s check from a church bank account in December 2020. After that, he relocated from Camarillo to Atoka, Tennessee, where, according to the prosecution, he used the pilfered money for property, dental work, a new automobile, a new cell phone, and flight tickets between January and April 2021.
According to Ventura County Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Howard Wise, who spoke to The Times, Lemons executed his plan as the close-knit baptist group was dealing with the last few months of the life of its founder, the Rev. Jesse James Taylor, as well as the difficulties of conducting remote prayer during the pandemic.
California
A food bank in Long Beach is being sued by the state, which claims that its executives embezzled over $11 million in public monies for personal gain.
According to Wise, the case’s prosecutor, Taylor utilized the money he earned from Oxnard real estate to finance the church and create a place of worship for friends and family. The reverend’s personal funds accounted for a sizeable amount of the $200,000 that was stolen.
According to a statement from Wise, Mr. Lemons stole from a vulnerable victim at a vulnerable moment. At the time, the church patriarch was on the verge of passing away. Although Mr. Lemons made a horrible choice, he has acknowledged that he committed a serious theft.
According to his obituary, Taylor, who was lovingly referred to as Uncle Rev., and his wife, Lura Dell Taylor, started the church in 1963. At age 87, he passed away in August 2021.
A church member reported the theft, and the Oxnard Police Department looked into it. According to Wise, Lemons first claimed to have donated the funds to a charity, but later financial records showed that he had actually used them for personal needs.
Lemons entered a guilty plea to one count of money laundering and two charges of grand theft in April.
