Tulsa Pastor Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Embezzling Over $900,000
Tulsa, Okla.—A local pastor and former Executive Director of the Greater Cornerstone Community Development Project has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for embezzling over $900,000 from the community center.
Willard Lenord Jones, 63, of Tulsa, was sentenced on [current date] by United States District Judge John E. Dowdell to a total of 37 months in prison for having committed three counts of wire fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Jones admitted that from September 2007 to June 2013, he misappropriated approximately $933,000 from the Greater Cornerstone Community Development Project, a non-profit organization formed to raise money for the building and operation of a community center in South Haven, a neighborhood in West Tulsa.
As the Executive Director of the community center, Jones solicited monetary contributions from donors, including foundations, corporations, churches, and individuals, to fund the development project. He then fraudulently transferred funds from community center bank accounts to church bank accounts and then transferred those funds into personal bank accounts.
Jones used the money on personal expenses and luxury items, including hotels, gambling, liquor, automobiles, and jewelry. The court also ordered Jones to pay restitution in the amount of $933,507.80 to the community center and $155,112 to the Internal Revenue Service.
“One of the main purposes of the federal forfeiture laws is to deprive criminals of property acquired through their illegal activities. It is particularly rewarding that the United States will return forfeited proceeds to the victims in this case,” said United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr.
The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS CI, who worked together to bring Jones to justice. The sentence sends a strong message to the community that financial fraud will not be tolerated.
The defendant’s real full name is: Willard Lenord Jones
The exact criminal charges are: three counts of wire fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return
The city and state where the crime took place is: Tulsa, Oklahoma
The exact date of the sentencing is: [current date]
The sentence is: 37 months in prison, plus a period of supervised release of three years on the wire fraud counts and one year on the tax fraud count
The dollar amounts involved are: $933,507.80 (restitution to the community center) and $155,112 (restitution to the Internal Revenue Service)
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- LaDonna Jane Burns, Embezzlement, Oklahoma 2013 · Oklahoma
- Daniel James Abbott, Embezzlement, Oklahoma 2013 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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