72-year-old stole $574,000 from church to gamble and vacation

A 72-year-old Indiana woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for embezzling nearly $574,000 from her church!

The trick lasted at least 13 years

Accordingly FoxNews, Marie Carson “illegally transferred at least $573,836.59” over the course of 13 years. During this time, Carson served as the executive director of Saint Matthew Catholic Church and School in Indianapolis, and she was the sole person responsible for handling cash donations.

As a result, Carson’s plan wasn’t uncovered until late 2021, after she took a leave of absence and her representative discovered some suspicious transfers to an unconnected bank account.

It was also pointed out that Carson’s antics flew under the radar for so long because she made fake entries in the church’s payment tracking database.

But now the 72-year-old is in federal prison. Upon Marie Carson’s release, she will also have to complete a two-year supervised probation.

The funds were used to fund “lavish vacations”.

Prosecutors note that a good chunk of nearly $574,000 stolen by Carson was used for casino gambling as well as for month-long Florida vacations each year. In other words, she was really living on church money!

Zachary Myers, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, also brutally observed that “their greed and desire” took precedence over “the dictates of our penal laws and the teachings of their church.” Oops!

“For more than thirteen years, this defendant abused her position of trust to embezzle funds from parishioners intended for a church and school. Her greed and desire for lavish vacations outweighed her interest in following the dictates of our penal laws and the teachings of her church: ‘Thou shalt not steal.’”

Myers went on to say that this situation serves as a “clear message” to discourage people from committing similar crimes. Specifically, he added: “We will find you, you will be prosecuted and held accountable.”

Similarly, FBI Indianapolis (SAIC) Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton criticized the scheme as “driven by sheer greed.”

How do you assess the overall situation?