California church administrator sentenced for stealing $360K from congregation
A former church administrator in California has been sentenced to over five years in prison for stealing approximately $360,000 from her congregation.
Chanell Easton, a 38-year-old resident of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was found guilty months ago of having stolen money from a church in Yuba City over the course of five years.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced late last month that Easton had been sentenced to five years and one month in prison for her embezzlement scheme. A hearing to determine restitution has been scheduled for Nov. 19.
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Easton wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez in advance of sentencing, saying she had "deep regret" for her criminal behavior, claiming that she had an abusive upbringing that had a "profound effect on my development and well-being."
"I am deeply sorry for what I have done," Easton wrote, as quoted by The Sacramento Bee last month. "This is not who I am."
The wife of former Marysville, California, Police Department Chief Aaron Easton, Easton was an administrator at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Yuba City.
According to authorities, from June 2013 to February 2018, Easton stole more than $360,000 from the church.
Easton took funds from different accounts, including St. Andrew's food pantry and youth group. She also used church credit cards for personal purchases, including a vacation rental, VIP tickets and visits to retail stores and a hair salon.
In May 2022, a federal grand jury in Sacramento charged Easton with 22 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, with her facing the possibility of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each wire fraud count.
St. Andrew Presbyterian released a statement in 2022 saying it first became aware of the missing funds shortly after Easton had quit working for the church.
"This has been a long, tiring and frustrating process," stated the church, adding that "multifaceted systems of checks and balances, controls and accountability have been a top priority and have been set in place since Chanell left."
Last October, Easton pleaded guilty to the 22 wire fraud counts. However, she maintained a plea of not guilty to the two counts of identity theft. She was found guilty in March.
