American pastor sentenced to 35 years for stealing churches – TrendyNewsReporters

American pastor sentenced to 35 years for stealing churches

A Texas pastor was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of stealing three churches worth more than $800,000. Whitney Foster, 56, pastor of the nondenominational True Foundation Church in Dallas, was convicted of property theft involving three local churches, Dallas County prosecutors announced. Foster was the pastor of a small congregation that had no physical meeting place. Foster was accused of stealing real property from three local churches after prosecutors said he filed fraudulent property deeds, listing a fake pastor or other church officials at the congregations from which he was found guilty of stealing property. On the deed documents, he listed his church as beneficiary in his name. The value of the three properties totals more than $800,000, prosecutors said. First Christian Church in Lancaster, Texas, Canada Drive Christian Church and Ninevah Church were listed as the three churches from which property was stolen, prosecutors said. Two of the three churches are still listed in Foster’s name. Prosecutors said Foster’s congregation was still meeting at one of the properties and that the third property remains embroiled in legal complications due to the pastor’s actions. Theft of real property is an incredibly serious and harmful crime,” Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement. “It’s worse than stealing someone’s vehicle or other property. When someone steals property, we have to hold him accountable because he is hurting people.” The jury was presented with evidence of seven additional fraudulent acts in addition to the three for which Foster was previously convicted of identity theft and arson, they prosecutors announced. In 2021, the pastor of the Lancaster, Texas, church learned that the congregation no longer owned the building after it was sold to another person for $10, a Dallas television station reported. The property, worth $700,000 at the time, was given to someone else after someone claiming to be the church president gave the building to a non-church member for $10. At the time, Foster told the television station that he believes the church building will be vacant. “You can acquire a property for $10 with nonprofits,” Foster told the local news station. “The church is owned by the community. … It wasn’t Whitney who believed it. Our church was getting it. I intended to open a church there.”