A Texas pastor has been sentenced to 35 years in jail after it was found that he stole three church buildings in a deed fraud scheme.
Whitney Foster, the pastor of the True Basis Non-Denominational Church, was discovered responsible of felony theft of three separate Texas church buildings: First Christian Church of Lancaster, Canada Drive Christian Church, and Church at Nineveh in Dallas.
Foster dedicated felony theft of $300,000, in keeping with ABC affiliate WFAA. Foster, who had turned down a plea provide for a lesser punishment, testified for 4 days towards the costs, which have been mixed right into a single case.
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“Stealing real estate is just as much a theft as stealing someone’s purse or car,” prosecutor Phillip Clark advised WFAA following the trial. “But it is much more complicated to unwind or fix.”
Regardless of Foster’s conviction, Clark mentioned the church buildings have been nonetheless having to work by way of issues that proceed to come up because of the fraud.
“The Canada Drive Christian Church congregation was completely booted out of their church building,” Clark famous. “In the case with Lancaster, they are still trying to fix all the problems he created. Nineveh and Canada are still in his or his church’s name.”
Along with the three church buildings, the Dallas County jury additionally heard proof throughout the punishment section of the trial that seven different properties — principally church buildings or tons owned by church buildings — had comparable “hallmarks” of deed fraud, in keeping with WFAA.
Prosecutors confirmed jurors a Could 2021 WFAA report detailing the deed-fraud theft of First Christian Church of Lancaster. The WFAA story unveiled data filed in March 2019 with the Dallas County Clerk, which confirmed somebody claiming to be the church chairman after which deeding the church over to Foster for $10.
In an interview with WFAA, Foster mentioned he thought the constructing was vacant and had been chopping the grass outdoors the constructing.
WFAA found that the previous pastor had written a $10 donation to the Lancaster church and claimed that the donation enabled him to personal the property.
“You can acquire a property for $10 with nonprofits,” he mentioned. “The church is community property. … It wasn’t Whitney buying it. Our church was getting it. I was fixing to open up a church there.”
The Rev. Melissa Bitting supplied WFAA with a replica of the $10 verify. The verify was dated March 18, 2019, with a memo line that acknowledged it was a “donation.”
“I cannot imagine the audacity of this gentleman to come and worship with us like he did one Sunday morning before he stole the property,” Bitting mentioned.
The historic church is over 170 years previous, making it one of many oldest church buildings in North Texas.
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Put up.
“Well bless their hearts.”
