Hurricane Man Gets 8 Months for $106,500 Bank Heist

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A West Virginia man is going down for a massive bank heist that left a historic charitable care home in the red.

Paul Richard Spurlock, 67, of Hurricane, West Virginia, was sentenced to eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $106,500 in restitution for bank fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Spurlock admitted to embezzling approximately $106,500 from the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows – West Virginia’s historic Odd Fellows and Rebekah Home in Elkins.

The Odd Fellows Home, which operated since the early 1900s, provided housing and care for orphans, widows, seniors, and people with disabilities. Spurlock had been the treasurer of the home’s board of directors for several years before losing his seat in October 2018.

Spurlock’s scheme involved embezzling funds from the Odd Fellows Home by signing and issuing unauthorized checks to himself and his wife, who was acting as the home’s bookkeeper. He falsely told his wife that the home’s board of directors had approved a loan for their family.

Spurlock’s sentencing comes after the Odd Fellows Home closed and was auctioned off in 2022 due to financial difficulties. United States Attorney Will Thompson commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in bringing Spurlock to justice.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence, with Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-172.