Suspects Charged With Stealing $266K in Checks From Church Mailboxes
At least 17 Florida churches victimized by mail theft and bank fraud scheme.
Florida authorities have arrested eight people they say targeted church offerings in a check theft operation. The suspects allegedly stole checks from church mailboxes and fraudulently deposited the money into their own accounts, according to a Nov. 6 statement from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Photo by Wolfgang Vrede via Unsplash
A pastor at Harvest United Methodist Church in Lakewood Ranch noticed a marked decrease in the mail arriving at the church. “Parishioners had begun questioning whether their monthly tithe checks had arrived,” the sheriff’s statement said. “Several later discovered their checks had been stolen and deposited into other individuals’ bank accounts.”
The pastor reported the crime to authorities in December 2025. The nearly yearlong investigation has expanded to include “more than 20 suspects and fraudulent activity involving at least 17 churches in Manatee County between September 2025 and May 2026.” Confirmed losses in Manatee County total more than $72,000 from 107 stolen checks. In neighboring Hillsborough and Pasco counties, confirmed losses so far total nearly $194,000 from 268 stolen checks. The three counties’ sheriff’s offices and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating jointly, and authorities may identify more victims and suspects.
The eight people arrested so far face charges including organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification. Warrants have been issued for seven other suspects, at least one of whom is known to be in Cuba, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
In a separate Florida case, a Romanian crime ring stole $760,000 in donation checks from more than 350 churches in the state before targeting churches in several other states. Florida ranked third in the nation for reports of check fraud, according to a September 2024 report from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
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MinistryWatch contacted the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office with several questions about the case and will update this report if it receives more information. Harvest United Methodist Church, the only church the sheriff’s office named, had not responded to a request for comment by publication time.
Insecure Mailboxes, Digital Deposits Facilitated Crimes
According to the sheriff’s statement, the suspects were able to deposit the checks without altering them, typically through online banking or mobile apps. Check fraud often involves “check washing,” in which criminals use chemical solutions to remove the payee and amount from a check and then alter the payee name, dollar amount or both. In this case, stealing the checks was enough to fool bank security, and no alteration was needed.
The FBI has noted that digital deposits and regulations requiring quick fund availability can make it easier for criminals to fraudulently deposit a check and withdraw the money before the check writer or the payee realizes what has happened.
Protecting Tithes and Offerings From Check Theft
According to a report from the U.S. Treasury Department, “[c]heck fraud has increased nationwide by 385% since the pandemic.” Churches are not immune. Although paper checks are less secure than electronic payments, individuals and organizations can take steps to reduce their risk of mail theft and check fraud.
For those who continue to write checks, the FBI recommends using checks with security features that make them harder to alter through check washing, regularly reviewing bank records to make sure cleared checks were properly deposited and immediately contacting the bank about suspicious transactions.
Some risk will remain as long as paper checks are in use, but signing up for USPS Informed Delivery, a free service that lets recipients digitally preview incoming mail, could help church staff quickly notice if one or more checks go missing. Securing the church mailbox is also a key way to keep thieves from accessing offerings, though thieves still could intercept checks before they arrive.
Churches should also ensure that at least two people are signers on every bank account so that multiple people can monitor transaction history for fraudulent or suspicious activity. In this case, authorities have not confirmed whether the suspects were connected to any of the churches involved, but internal embezzlement has been documented in churches. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimated in 2022 that one in three churches will eventually face embezzlement.
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