Former Tremé church leader sent to prison for a year and a day for embezzling
A former Tremé church leader was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for embezzling almost $89,000 for his own use.
The U.S. attorney’s office in New Orleans said Charles Williams Jr., 51, transferred money from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church into multiple bank accounts, including one to fund a pizza restaurant that he owned at The Esplanade shopping mall in Kenner.
An official at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Treme embezzled about $89,000 from the institution, used the money to run a pizza joint at the E…
As the elected senior warden of the church, Williams was the top layperson at St. Luke’s and was responsible for ensuring its bills were paid. But he also kept the church’s financial information private and inaccessible for others.
During an Aug. 29, 2018, interview with the FBI, he allegedly lied about taking money from a church checking account and using it for his business or personal use.
He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2019. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, whom President George W. Bush nominated to the court, sentenced him, including a requirement that he repay the church. Following his prison term, Williams must serve two years of supervised release.
A former Treme church official pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Dec. 19 and admitted that he stole $89,000 for personal uses, including his Esp…
Read More: Former Tremé church leader sent to prison for a year and a day for embezzling