A Maryland pastor accused of using his church’s money for personal use, including sports betting, is facing five counts of embezzlement-related charges, according to Harford County Circuit Court records
Daniel J. Champ, 42, is charged with four counts of theft of over $100,000 and one count of embezzlement. Court records show that he is free on a $15,000 bond.
The charges stem from allegations that Champ used church money for personal items, such as DoorDash, PayPal and sports betting, as reported by WJZ-TV, the CBS news outlet in Baltimore.
His church, First Baptist Church in Bel Air, has a non-working phone number and its webpage has been taken down. According to the church’s Facebook page, Champ’s last sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, Sept. 8.
WJZ reported that church officials noticed suspicious bank charges and missing money last October. The activity dated back to January 2019 and continued until 2024.
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A church member who didn’t want to be identified told the CBS outlet the church had not addressed the allegations.
The money that went to the church belonged to the people, the church member said.
And why weren’t they honest? Why didn’t they just tell people?” WJZ quoted the member as saying.
Champ was removed from the church account and has 60 days to move from the residence on church property, the station reported.
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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3 Responses
How sad. Hope they can get this resolved.
These guys are not pastors. They are con-men parading as pastors.
That’s why a lot of people feel the way they feel about church and or attendance.