SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio woman is headed to prison after admitting that she stole more than $667,000 from a Windcrest church, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales says.
The woman, identified as Lavelle Wilson, has pled guilty to theft and misapplication of fiduciary property from New Creation Christian Fellowship.
Wilson was an executive assistant and had worked for the church for over 30 years, DA Gonzales says. She was in charge of two of the church’s bank accounts.
"In 2019, New Creation’s Executive Committee conducted a review of financial reports and expenses. Wilson delayed turning over financial records and it was not until the church obtained the records from the bank that it was discovered that Wilson had been taking money from them as far back as 2014," the report says.
In all, Wilson reportedly took around $667,542 from the church to pay for things like a trip to Hawaii, shopping sprees, restaurant dining, fast food, personal loan payments and personal cell phone payments.
Wilson had no criminal history and she was sentenced to seven years in prison. She is currently awaiting transfer from the Bexar County Jail to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division.
“Members give to their church with the best of intentions. In this case, the money that was meant to be used by the church was instead funding this defendant’s lifestyle," said Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales.
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