Welcome to Arrest Stories. A Louisiana pastor who led two congregations simultaneously was convicted on twenty-five federal counts after prosecutors say he secretly drained church funds for years. Heres what may have happened.
Dale Sanders, fifty-six years old, served as pastor of Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie and Fifth African Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. According to prosecutors, Sanders defrauded both churches out of more than three hundred forty thousand dollars over a four-year period stretching from April twenty twenty to April twenty twenty-four.
Court filings show Sanders secretly obtained a church debit card without board approval and used it for personal expenses and casino cash withdrawals. Prosecutors stated that Sanders would withdraw funds and transfer money held in Church A's bank accounts to accounts controlled by Sanders. The money was used to fund his personal expenditures, to include gambling, dining, and living expenses. When those accounts ran short, Sanders allegedly transferred funds from Fifth African Baptist Church to Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church to cover the shortfall.
Sanders was also found guilty of obstruction of a federal investigation for providing a falsified record in response to a grand jury subpoena. Prosecutors said that falsified record was designed to make it appear Sanders had donated money back to the church in twenty twenty-three.
Following his arrest in April, Sanders took to social media and addressed his supporters directly. And believe this, he said, I feel your prayers. God is already working and moving by his Spirit. Sanders then made a specific appeal to those same supporters. Please, hear me. This is not a joke. I need you to pray for my enemy. He added, The Bible says, Pray for them that despitefully use you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my namesake. If you pray for my enemy, God will not only bless me, but he will deal with them.
A federal jury was unmoved. On July seventeenth, following a five-day trial in New Orleans before US District Judge Brandon S. Long, Sanders was convicted on all twenty-five federal counts, including wire fraud, access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for October thirteenth. Sanders faces up to twenty years in prison, a fine of as much as two hundred fifty thousand dollars or twice the financial gain or loss, and three years of supervised release.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.