72-Year-Old Business Manager Goes on Gambling Spree After Embezzling Nearly $574K from Indiana Church

A 72-year-old woman in Indiana has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after transferring over half a million dollars from a Catholic Church into her personal account.

The Department of Justice announced that 72-year-old Marie Carson, from Indianapolis, was given a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud. She served as business manager for Saint Matthew Catholic Church and School in Indianapolis.

According to court documents, between 2008 to 2021, Carson illegally transferred $573,836.59 from the business accounts of a Catholic church, as well as a school that is associated with it, into her personal bank accounts.

In her job at the church, Carson was responsible for processing checks received from churchgoers, while conducting financial transactions for the church and school. She was the only one in charge of managing the finances of the church.

“For more than thirteen years, this defendant abused her position of trust to embezzle money from parishioners intended for a church and school,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

He continued: “Her greed and desire for lavish vacations outweighed her interest in following the dictates of our criminal laws and the teachings of her church, ‘Thou shalt not steal.’ The sentence imposed today sends a clear message to those who might seek to steal, defraud, and embezzle: we will find you, you will be prosecuted, and you will be held accountable.”

The discovery of her crimes took place last November when she was on leave from the job and a temporary worker found suspicious transfers from the church’s gaming account. After investigating further, she discovered over $289,000 in transfers had been sent to several different accounts, including a fake account that was created in the church’s name.

The former church worker was able to maintain the crime by making false entries into the database used by the church to track payments. Most of the funds stolen by Carson were used by her and her husband for casino gambling and an annual, month-long vacation to Florida.

“This scheme was fueled by pure greed. For more than a decade, the defendant abused the trust of the church and its parishioners to line her own pocket,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge, Herbert J. Stapleton. “While she may have benefited in the short term, in the end this perpetrator’s deception landed her behind bars. The FBI and our partners will continue to identify and investigate those who engage in these types of illegal schemes and hold them accountable.”