Lisa Dawn Stabeno, 52, has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for embezzling more than $450,000 from Church on the Rock in Lubbock, Texas.
According to court documents, Ms. Stabeno pleaded guilty in May to two counts of bank fraud and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who ordered her to pay $450,000 in restitution.
The embezzlement began in November 2013, just four months after Ms. Stabeno assumed accounting responsibilities at the church. She used church credit cards to pay personal expenses, including a car loan, medical and dental expenses, clothing, salon services, and restaurant meals.
Ms. Stabeno also used the credit cards to purchase supplies for a bakery she co-owned with her daughters. In 2014, she began making payments to herself with church credit cards using Square, a digital point-of-sale payment system. In 2015, she opened two credit cards, one in her own name and one in her daughter’s name, which she used for personal expenses.
The church discovered Ms. Stabeno’s fraud in the summer of 2018 and terminated her employment. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Lubbock Resident Agency, conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Howey prosecuted the case.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced the sentencing, stating that Ms. Stabeno’s actions were a brazen theft from a religious institution that served more than 3,400 parishioners. The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and the need to hold individuals accountable for their actions.
The case highlights the importance of internal controls and oversight in preventing embezzlement and financial fraud. Church on the Rock has since implemented new measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The sentencing of Lisa Dawn Stabeno serves as a reminder that those who engage in financial fraud will be held accountable and face serious consequences.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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