According to federal prosecutors, the former communications director at Church of God was found guilty of swindling as much as $100,000 from church coffers while serving at the denomination’s international headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. In court last month, assistant attorney James Brooks said that Troy Scot Carter had stolen from church coffers by setting up false invoices related to audiovisual services that the denomination had no information about. Church leaders said they had no knowledge of Carter’s crime despite him having held the post of communications director for the denomination from 2004 to 2013.

Brooks alleged that Carter’s production company secured a contract to offer audiovisual services at the Empowered 21 conference, which was organized at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2010, without informing the church. His company then subcontracted the services to another company called Majestic Productions in Indiana. While Carter was to be paid $44,520 for this contract, Majestic Productions agreed to take $166,900 for its services. However, Carter eventually paid the Indiana-company only $66,900 and not the remaining $100,000. Allegedly, Carter then submitted a false invoice to Church of God, saying the pending $100,000 was required as down payment for some other contract that had been handed over to Majestic Productions.

“In fact, Majestic was to perform services for Church of God in 2010, but did not require this down payment and the $100,000 never became part of Majestic's actual bill,” court papers said.

The church sent a check to Majestic Productions via mail, which allowed Carter to steal the aforementioned $100,000 that was due for the first project in Tulsa.

Carter’s lawyer Barry Abbott said it was too soon to comment on his charges.

Church of God is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations, with approximately 36,000 congregations across the world. Even though church officials refused to talk to the media, the denominations’ International Executive Committee released a statement about the incident. According to the statement, the financial irregularities started to surface two years ago and church leaders were quick to contact their in-house counsel as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In its statement, the executive committee clarified that the church had fully cooperated with the investigation.

“The church has taken additional measures to ensure that this type of scenario will not occur in the future. The church will take further steps to evaluate the prospects of exercising its legal options to recoup all of the money which was taken and is advised that restitution will probably be a part of any order of the court. We urge prayer for all involved and for the continued ministry of the church,” read the statement.

Church leaders have hope of recovering the lost $100,000 through an insurance policy that secures religious organizations against fraud.

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