David Michael Apps, a 50-year-old resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a federal court on February 27, 2023.
According to court documents, Apps, the business manager of Broad Street United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, used a church credit card to pay for personal expenses totaling over $1.5 million between 2014 and 2021.
The scheme involved using the credit card to pay for personal travel, automobiles, medical bills for family members, boat/watercraft, marina fees, and firearms, none of which were related to church business.
Apps also wrote checks to himself under the guise of church member donations to support supposed medical bills relating to his false claim that he had brain cancer.
The specific count of conviction involves the use of the church credit card to buy a luxury watch from an expensive retailer in California for $3,711.
Apps faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud count, along with significant fines, restitution, and forfeiture of property.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI as part of the Smoky Mountains Financial Crimes Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Neff represents the United States.
David Apps is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. before the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The public is reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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