Staccato Powell, Defrauding Churches, California 2022

Former Bishop Pleads Guilty to Defrauding California Churches

OAKLAND – Staccato Powell, a 65-year-old former bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (“AME Zion”), pleaded guilty in federal court today to wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with a far-reaching scheme to obtain control of church properties in California using false statements, forged documents, concealment, and deception.

Powell, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, was indicted along with co-defendant Sheila Quintana by a federal grand jury in January 2022. Quintana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in April 2025.

According to court documents and the plea agreement, in 2016, shortly after Powell was selected as bishop and assigned to AME Zion Church’s Western Episcopal District, a geographic division of the church covering several states in the western United States, including California, he formed an entity called Western Episcopal District, Inc. (WED, Inc.). Powell was the chief executive officer of WED, Inc. and Quintana was the chief financial officer from 2017 to 2019.

In 2016, Powell instructed pastors of AME Zion Churches throughout the Western Episcopal District to sign deeds granting WED, Inc. title to their congregation’s property – typically the church building, but also any outbuildings, lots, parking lots, and residences used by the pastors. At Powell’s direction, Quintana and other WED, Inc. officers worked on completing the necessary steps to accomplish the transfer of titles through grant deeds.

Starting in early 2017, Powell instructed Quintana and other WED, Inc. officers to obtain loans using the property of local AME Zion Churches acquired through the grant deeds as collateral for the loans. In response to the lenders’ request for confirmation of the local AME Zion Church’s authorization of the loan, Powell caused to be created documents purporting to be resolutions by churches to support WED, Inc.’s loan applications. In several instances, Powell directed WED, Inc. to use church resolutions with false statements, and directed Quintana to create the false documents and sign the resolutions in the name of an officer with the local church.

In pleading guilty, Powell admitted to fraudulently obtaining mortgages on church properties in California, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo, for which he formed a group to assist with the purchase of a $1.5 million episcopal residence in Granite Bay, with approximately $1 million covered by a bank loan. At Powell’s direction, to obtain the additional $500,000 in funding, the group identified two church properties, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo, that would be used as collateral to secure the financing to purchase the episcopal residence. Quintana executed the loan documents using a false resolution, which she drafted at Powell’s direction, that purported to confirm approval of the transaction by the Kyles Temple congregation. No such meeting to discuss or approve the resolution had occurred.

Defendant Information:

- Defendant: Staccato Powell

- Charges: Wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud

- City and State: Oakland, California

- Date: January 2022 (indicted), April 2025 (co-defendant pleaded guilty)

- Outcome: Currently awaiting sentencing

- Dollar amounts: $1.5 million (episcopal residence), $1 million (bank loan), $500,000 (additional funding)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-bishop-ame-zion-church-pleads-guilty-defrauding-congregations-california