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Half of the small congregation at a Tennessee church are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the house of worship in order to go shopping.
Peakland Baptist Church in Meigs County was destroyed by a fire in 2019, but now two members of its four-member congregation are charged with theft over $60,000 after supposedly stealing more than $83,000 from the church.
William "Larry" Mullins and his mother Carolyn Mullins were the treasurer and assistant treasurer, respectively, at the small church, and as such were the only authorized signatories on Peakland Baptist's bank accounts, per FOX 17.
According to the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the church was trying to rebuild after the fire, but construction halted due to a lack of church funds. Investigators said Larry and Carolyn Mullins wrote church checks for themselves in order to get cash and purchase gift cards, cigarettes, a ring and clothing from Walmart.
"It's a best practice for churches to have someone other than treasurer reconcile the monthly bank statements and review financial activity," said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. "Separating financial responsibilities reduces the risk of errors or fraudulent activity."
They transferred $12,221.31 back to the church, the comptroller said, but they still owed $71,489.51.