Updated on 12/3/2025 to reflect sentence imposed on Ostrosky.
Thomas Ostrosky, 52, pleaded guilty on Nov. 12 to stealing more than $207,000 from the Lazarus Experience and its donors, including elders. The Toledo-area nonprofit is no longer in operation.
Thomas Ostrosky in 2018 / Video screenshot @Waterville Community Church
Ostrosky pleaded guilty to felony charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, theft from a person in a protected class, solicitation fraud, and telecommunications fraud.
The announcement from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says the nonprofit was described as a Christian ministry providing re-entry services to incarcerated men in northwest Ohio. The nonprofit’s Facebook page says, “The Lazarus Experience is a prison ministry reentry program that goes into prisons and walks with the incarcerated with the hope of producing disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ostrosky founded the nonprofit in 2017 and managed it. He was arrested and indicted in April 2025 for allegedly stealing $150,000. The case was investigated by Yost’s Charitable Law Section.
“Due to the high recidivism (returning citizens going back to prison) rate in our community, there is a high need to serve returning citizens,” says a 2020 post on the Lazarus Experience Facebook page. “The Lazarus Experience has been serving our returning citizens for over 4 years.”
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The post says the nonprofit had a 97.7% success rate—86 success stories out of 88 participants—and that the average direct expense per month of each returning citizen was $185.16.
“The defendant exploited the goodwill of donors who believed in the organization’s mission,” Yost said. “Such a shameful betrayal of the community’s trust demands accountability.”
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2 in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Yost’s Charitable Law Section is appointed to prosecute the case.
Update: Ostrosky was sentenced to 10 to 13 years in prison for his theft. In addition, he will have to pay restitution of $207,650 which the Ohio Attorney General’s office will distribute for charitable purposes.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on financial fraud in the church? We report on them because one in three churches will be victimized, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. We also report on them because these crimes have real victims and cost taxpayers and other stakeholders billions of dollars every year. Even small crimes in small churches have huge consequences. We also report on them to remind our readers that they do not have to be victims. There are steps you can take to prevent financial waste, fraud, and abuse in your church or ministry. To find out more, click here.