Lisa Dawn Stabeno, 52, of Lubbock, Texas, is headed to federal prison for 5½ years after stealing more than $450,000 from Church on the Rock, a non-denominational congregation serving over 3,400 parishioners. The former bookkeeper pleaded guilty in May to two counts of bank fraud and was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who called her actions ‘brazen thefts’ against a community that trusted her.
Stabeno began the scheme in November 2013, just four months after taking over accounting duties. She started by charging personal expenses to church-issued credit cards—ones assigned to a pastor and another employee. Those charges included a car loan she co-signed with her daughter, medical and dental bills, salon visits, restaurant tabs, and clothing. She even used the cards to buy supplies for a bakery she co-owned with her daughters.
The fraud escalated in 2014 when Stabeno used Square, a mobile payment processor, to funnel church funds directly to herself. By swiping church credit cards through a phone-connected device, she created fake transactions, padding her personal accounts while draining church finances. The digital footprints led investigators straight to the heart of her operation.
In 2015, Stabeno opened two personal credit cards—one in her name, one in her daughter’s—and used them to cover massive personal debts. She then laundered church money through the congregation’s general operating account and its ‘Dream Center’ ministry fund to pay off hundreds of thousands in balances. These weren’t just payments—they were deliberate cover-ups.
She also manipulated her bakery’s books by using the personal cards to log fake sales and payroll, then cleared the debt with church funds. The scam inflated the bakery’s revenue, boosted profits, and artificially raised her daughters’ salaries—all on the backs of church donors. The entire operation ran for nearly five years before collapsing.
Church leaders uncovered the fraud in summer 2018 and immediately terminated Stabeno. The FBI’s Dallas Field Office, Lubbock Resident Agency, led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Howey prosecuted. Stabeno must now serve 66 months behind bars and pay full restitution of $450,000.
Related Federal Cases
- Houston Robber Gets 37-Month Sentence for Wells Fargo Heist · Texas
- Kelley Gets 18 Months for Night Vision Export Scheme · Maryland
- Fake Citizen Gets Seven Months, Deportation · Texas
- Barfield Gets 87 Months for Dewhurst Campaign Embezzlement · Texas
- San Antonio Sex Trafficker Marcus Wright Gets Life Terms · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
