Woman took $660K from her church for Hawaii trip, shopping sprees, Texas officials say

A woman was sent to prison after stealing more than $660,000 from her church over a five-year span, Texas officials say.

Lavelle Wilson worked at New Creation Christian Fellowship in Windcrest, just outside San Antonio, for 30 years and was in charge of two bank accounts, according to the Bexar County District Attorney.

When the church’s executive committee began a review of financial reports in 2019, it discovered Wilson had been stealing money from the church since 2014, officials say.

She admitted to stealing $667,542, using the money to pay for “a trip to Hawaii, shopping sprees at local malls, dining at upscale restaurants, fast food, personal loan payments and personal cell phone payments,” the district attorney said.

Wilson was given a seven-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to theft and misapplication of fiduciary property. She will be placed in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division.

“New Creation Christian Fellowship trusted (Wilson) to help them do some good for our community. Her violation of that trust hurt this community,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said. “Now that she has accepted responsibility for her crime, I know the church and its members can focus on their faith and service to our community.”

In a statement on the church’s website, two top-ranking pastors said the matter has been challenging for everyone involved at New Creation. The church has implemented changes to improve its financial record systems, but the pastors said Wilson’s actions did not impact the safety of their financial status.

“The church deals with sin, immorality and redemption,” the pastors said. “The law deals with crime.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 7:52 AM with the headline "Woman took $660K from her church for Hawaii trip, shopping sprees, Texas officials say."