A Tabor, South Dakota man has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling money from two Catholic parishes.
Steven Joseph Bares, age 53, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after being convicted of Wire Fraud. He was ordered to pay $287,457.37 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The sentencing took place on January 17, 2023, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Bares was ordered to self-surrender to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on February 13, 2023.
According to court documents, Bares willfully and unlawfully devised a scheme to defraud and obtain money and property from two parishes by false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. Saint Wenceslaus Parish in Tabor, South Dakota, and Saint John the Baptist Parish in Lesterville, South Dakota, are two small Catholic parishes located in rural South Dakota towns. The churches shared a single priest, and Bares was the only administrative staff member, working as the bookkeeper.
In that capacity, Bares wrote checks to pay bills and entered checks in the general ledgers. However, an investigation revealed that he made multiple checks out to companies belonging to him that did not correspond to any service or equipment purchased from those companies. These checks were neither entered in the general ledger nor entered as a legitimate expense.
Between January of 2013 and March of 2020, Bares embezzled money from the two parishes, totaling $324,001.37. The investigation confirmed that the checks identified in the audit report were deposited into accounts held by Bares.
The case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Michele Ann Palm, Wire Fraud, South Dakota 2017 · South Dakota
- Robert Rodney Bland, Wire Fraud, South Dakota 2019 · South Dakota
- James Garrett, Crop Insurance Fraud, South Dakota 2024 · South Dakota
- Lawrence Parker III, ATM Vandalism, South Dakota 2016 · New Hampshire
- Tammy Twiss, Wire Bank Fraud, SD 2023 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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