Harford County pastor charged for allegedly stealing $100K from church
A Harford County pastor is facing several charges after investigators say he stole more than $100,000 from his church.
Pastor Daniel Champ is charged with theft of over $100,000 and embezzlement from the First Baptist Church.
Pastor Daniel Champ is charged with theft of over $100,000 and embezzlement from the First Baptist Church.
CBS News Baltimore
"They would talk about holding meetings and not say why, and then all of a sudden the pastor was gone, he was just gone," said an anonymous member of First Baptist Church in Bel Air.
Suspicious bank charges noticed
According to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, church officials noticed suspicious bank charges and missing money last October.
According to the indictment, the theft began in January 2019 and continued until he was caught in 2024.
Investigators say Pastor Champ took more than $135,000 for personal use, such as DoorDash, PayPal, and sports betting.
A member of the church, who didn't want to be identified, said the church still has not addressed the crime.
"I was very disappointed that they didn't come out honestly and tell us what was happening, why they weren't forthcoming and honest," the church member said. "Because money goes to that church, that's the people's money. And why weren't they honest? Why didn't they just tell people?"
Multiple attempts to reach the church were unsuccessful
"I think they need to come clean and be honest with the people. I think the people need to know," the church member said.
Pastor ordered to move off church property
The Harford County Sheriff's Office says Champ was removed from the church account and has 60 days to move from the residence on church property.
He is set to appear in court next month.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Door Dash delivery at O'Hare exposes hole in airport security
CHICAGO (WGN) — Newly obtained video shows a Door Dash driver's attempt to deliver food to a customer at O'Hare International Airport last month not only breached perimeter security but also failed to trigger an immediate response. The delivery driver's red Hyundai Elantra is seen on airport surveillance video pulling up just behind and to the right of a United Airlines widebody jet parked at Terminal 1, Concourse C around midday on May 17. The vehicle stopped for approximately 20 seconds before pulling forward again and then stopping alongside the jet. Baggage handlers noticed the driver and approached, however it took nearly 10 minutes for a marked Chicago police vehicle to arrive. It's unclear from the video whether police or airport security officers may have approached the scene sooner on foot. WGN Investigates has learned the driver entered the restricted area through a security gate at the southeast corner of O'Hare, indicating he travelled a significant distance across the massive airfield without being stopped or raising alarm. 'No guard was clearly visible and [he] proceeded through the gate, following instructions from his GPS coordinates in an aim to deliver the meal,' the driver told police, according to records obtained by WGN Investigates. Police found the food order and a Door Dash receipt in the driver's car and released him without issuing any citations. The private security guard manning the perimeter checkpoint told police she didn't immediately report the breach. 'The vehicle had indeed driven through her post to which she regarded as strange and unfamiliar,' she told officers according to their reports. 'She then closed the gate but made no attempt to contact [the operations center] or notify her direct supervisor.' 'Following this incident, [Chicago Department of Aviation] leadership met with the contractor, Lincoln Security, to review what occurred and referred the matter to the Transportation Security Administration for further investigation,' airport spokesperson Kevin Bargnes told WGN Investigates. 'The employee involved is no longer employed by Lincoln Security, and their airport credentials have been terminated by the CDA.' A Door Dash spokesperson did not answer a question about whether the driver is still delivering food for the company. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Men told woman her PayPal account was hacked, needed $55K for ‘secured account'
Two men were arrested after trying to swindle a Newnan woman out of thousands of dollars. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] In April, a woman came to the Newnan Police Department to report a possible fraud incident. The woman told officers she received a text message from someone she believed to be PayPal. The message stated that someone hacked into her account and tried to transfer $49,500 from her account. The victim said she called the number that texted her, and 'PayPal' transferred her to their fraud department. The woman then made contact with a man named 'John.' John told her she needed to create a secure account that was 'essentially unhackable.' John then told her to go to the bank and withdraw $25,000. According to officials, the bank did put a hold on her money but released it after three days. TRENDING STORIES: Chinese scientists charged, accused of smuggling toxic fungus into US 3 young sisters found dead; law enforcement agencies search for their father Nearly 2 dozen arrested for stealing thousands from Mall of Georgia John then told the victim not to meet him at the Walmart on Bullsboro Drive to hand-deliver the $25,000 so he could create the account on her behalf and start her a 'secure account.' The victim then met with the person she believed to be John and gave him the cash. She told police she was able to see what vehicle the man got into and said John tried to contact her again the following day to give him another $30,000. Newnan investigators told the woman not to withdraw any more money from her bank account and to stop communicating with John. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Officers later arrested Jiehui Yu and Sai Goutham Bandari in connection with the case. Yu was charged with purchase/possession and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Channel 2 Action News is working to learn Bandari's list of charges.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Washington Post
Town official claims self-defense in shooting of DoorDash driver in New York
An upstate New York town official accused of shooting and wounding a food delivery person says he was protecting his family and has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Ring doorbell camera footage shows John Reilly III, the highway superintendent in Chester, a town nearly 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Manhattan, shooting at the DoorDash driver's car on May 2 as the person was trying to leave Reilly's property. Prosecutors allege the shooting was unprovoked, saying the driver was lost and his cellphone battery was dead, as he only tried to see if Reilly had ordered the food he was trying to deliver.
