Man stole $100,000 from parishioners — then sold their church, North Carolina cops say
Someone sold a Baptist church in North Carolina to new occupants.
There was just one problem: He didn’t own it.
Deputies in Pitt County arrested 49-year-old Armie Spencer Jr., of Greenville, on charges of embezzlement and obtaining property under false pretenses, according to a news release Friday. An investigation revealed Spencer had been embezzling from Piney Grove Freewill Baptist Church for years.
“Detectives found an improper pattern of activity in which more than $100,000 had been moved from the church’s accounts into (Spencer’s) personal accounts … and into the accounts of International Galleries, a defunct business owned by Spencer,” the release states.
Spencer also sold the church “without the legal rights” to unsuspecting buyers, according to the sheriff’s office.
“It was determined that the new occupants of the property were not involved in any criminal activity, nor were they aware that any such activity had occurred,” the release states.
The embezzlement occurred from June 2017 to May 2019, WCTI reported.
Piney Grove sold for $425,000 this year to the Oasis of Hope Pentecostal Church, according to WITN.
Lawyers for Oasis of Hope said it still owns the property and the church plans to hold services as normal, the media outlet reported.
Spencer has been charged with obtaining property by false pretense (greater than $100,000), conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses and embezzlement (greater than $100,000), according to the sheriff’s office.
He’s being held in the Pitt County Detention Center under a $600,000 bond.
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Man stole $100,000 from parishioners — then sold their church, North Carolina cops say."
