Latest news with #DanielChamp
CBS News
14-05-2025
- CBS News
Former Anne Arundel County pastor sentenced for not paying taxes on $347k he stole from church
A former pastor in Anne Arundel County was sentenced for not paying taxes on the nearly $350,000 that he stole from his church, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced. Jerome Isaac Hurley, from Pasadena, will serve five years of supervised probation. Hurley was found guilty of the crime on December 4, 2024. Hurley was the pastor at the Miracle Temple Church in Lothian, Maryland, from 2017 until October 2022, according to the attorney general's office. According to court documents, Hurley filed an insurance claim on behalf of the church after a fire at the church parsonage in 2020. The church was paid $350,000 by the insurance company. Hurley stole $347,000 from the church and deposited the money into his personal account, and used the money for personal expenses, according to court records. The court said Hurley didn't include the $347,000 in income in his 2021 income tax return, and his failure to pay $33,595.05 in taxes to the State of Maryland. On March 11, Hurley pleaded guilty to theft in a separate case related to the theft from the church. Harford County pastor charged with theft from his church In April, a Harford County pastor was accused of stealing 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. According to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, church officials noticed suspicious bank charges and missing money in October 2024. According to the indictment, the theft began in January 2019 and continued until he was caught in 2024. Investigators said Pastor Champ took more than $135,000 for personal use, such as DoorDash, PayPal, and sports betting.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Bizarre spending habits of pastor accused of stealing at least 100K from Maryland church
A Maryland pastor has been charged for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from his church to fund his spending on DoorDash and sports betting. Daniel Champ, the pastor for the First Baptist Church in Harford County, was indicted last month on four felony counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of embezzlement, according to Maryland Circuit Court records. According to the indictment returned on April 1, the alleged thievery lasted from January 2019 until November 2024, when he was caught. An anonymous member of the church spoke to WJZ-TV, a CBS affiliate in Baltimore, to express their frustration about how the situation has been handled. 'They would talk about holding meetings and not say why, and then all of a sudden the pastor was gone, he was just gone,' the member told the local outlet. Church officials noticed suspicious bank transactions and missing money last October, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. The same churchgoer, who did not want to be identified, said that church leaders had still not addressed the allegations, but that Champ is no longer a pastor at the church. Daily Mail reached out to Daniel Champ and the church for comment. Champ (pictured preaching at the church) was officially ordained as a pastor at the church on December 9, 2017 The Harford County Sheriff's Office said Champ was removed from the church's financial accounts and has been given 60 days to move out of the residence on church property '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 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? 'I think they need to come clean and be honest with the people. I think the people need to know.' The Harford County Sheriff's Office said Champ was removed from the church's financial accounts and has been given 60 days to move out of the residence on church property. According to the church's social media pages, Champ was officially ordained as a pastor at the church on December 9, 2017. An arrest warrant for Champ was issued on April 2, a day after the indictment was returned. He made his initial appearance in court on April 11 and posted bond for $15,000, lower than the $25,000 the judge presiding over the case initially requested. He is set to appear in court again on May 19 at 1:30pm.
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
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.
