4 days ago
Anne Arundel County church employee accused of stealing $10,000 from her job
A church employee in Anne Arundel County is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the job.
Lori Kirschner Griffith allegedly embezzled money from St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School from December 2024 through February 2025. She was the payroll coordinator.
Church leaders filed a police report after discovering discrepancies in the church's payroll journals, according to charging documents. The investigation determined that Kirschner Griffith was adding additional funds to her paycheck and hiding those transactions in the before and after-school payroll accounts.
Kirschner Griffith worked at St. Paul's since 2023 and was the sole financial officer responsible for distributing funds.
She is charged with embezzlement, theft, and theft scheme.
Former Anne Arundel County pastor sentenced
Earlier this month, Jerome Isaac Hurley, a former pastor at the Miracle Temple Church in Lothian, Maryland, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation for not paying taxes on the nearly $350,000 that he stole from the church, according to the Maryland 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.
Harford County pastor charged with theft from church
In April, a Harford County pastor was accused of stealing more than $100,000 from his church.
Pastor Daniel Champ was 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.
