A United States pastor, Dale Sanders, has been convicted of stealing more than $340,000 from two churches in Louisiana after diverting church funds to finance gambling, dining and other personal expenses.
A federal jury found the 56-year-old guilty on 25 criminal counts, including wire fraud, access device fraud and obstruction of a federal investigation, following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Sanders orchestrated a fraudulent scheme that siphoned money from the accounts of two churches by exploiting his position of trust.
Prosecutors told the court that Sanders illegally withdrew and transferred funds from one church’s bank accounts into accounts under his personal control, where the money was spent on gambling, meals, living expenses and other unauthorised personal transactions.
Investigators further established that he repeatedly used the church’s debit card for personal purchases, fraudulently obtaining cash, goods and services valued at more than $340,000.
The jury also convicted Sanders of obstructing a federal investigation after he submitted a falsified document in response to a grand jury subpoena in an apparent attempt to conceal the fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case exposed a prolonged abuse of financial trust within the churches, with Sanders enriching himself at the expense of the congregations he was entrusted to lead.
Judge Brandon S. Long has fixed October 13, 2026, for sentencing.
Sanders faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the most serious charges, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the value of the financial gain or loss resulting from the offences, up to three years of supervised release after serving any prison term, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 for each count of conviction.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn McHugh and Tracey Knight of the Financial Crimes Unit, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Orleans Field Office conducted the investigation.