ST. LOUIS, MO — The former treasurer of a church was sentenced to 21 months in prison for embezzling funds from the Brookfield Church of the Nazarene by writing checks and making unauthorized bank withdrawals.
U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry also ordered Cynthia Head, 51, of Brookfield, Missouri, to pay restitution of $192,000.
As part of the embezzlement scheme, Head made unauthorized purchases with church checks at local Walmart stores of such items as computers, cameras, and vacuum cleaners only to then return the purchased items for cash, officials said.
Officials said Head’s fraud scheme began in September of 2007 and lasted until October of 2013 and netted about $192,000 in fraudulent proceeds which Head used for her own personal benefit.
Head pled guilty to one felony count of wire fraud last August, according to authorities.