A Tennessee pastor was recently indicted on financial exploitation charges, alleging he defrauded a man with a disability of more than $27,000, according to a informe from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

David Berry was indicted by a grand jury in Marion County on one count of violation of the Computer Crimes Act, one count of theft over $10,000 but less than $60,000, and one count of financial exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable adult.

A pastor at the Praise & Worship Family Outreach Center in Jasper, Tennessee, Berry also owns and operates a business called The Tax Service, according to the report.

Berry’s church claimed the accusations against the pastor are unfounded in a declaración posted on their Facebook page.

“You will hear that Pastor David has been arrested. These are totally unfounded accusations,” the statement said. “Our pastor, brother, friend and his wife need everyone in the family of faith standing with him now more than ever!” 

The statement added, “The enemy has been trying everything to defame and stop the promotion of the Kingdom of God in our community.”

However, according to the report, Berry defrauded an adult who was “unable to fully manage his own resources” due to “an intellectual disability.”

Berry was first appointed as the representative payee to manage disability payments for an adult through the Social Security Administration’s Representative Payment Program in 2011. In this role, Berry was responsible for paying for the man’s food, shelter, clothes, medical care, and personal comfort items using Social Security funds, the report said.

The report alleges the pastor used this role to defraud and misappropriate the adult out of more $27,000 and take control of more than $366,000 of the man’s pension and Social Security benefits. 

Berry took complete control of the adult’s checkbook and accounts and did not give the man the ability to review account statements, the report said.

The pastor defrauded the man out of part of the money by writing unauthorized checks to the Praise & Worship Family Outreach Center, according to the report.

Normally, the adult authorized Berry to give the church a monthly tithe of 10%. However, Berry repeatedly wrote tithe checks from the man’s account in excess of that amount, the report said. Over the course of nine years, Berry misappropriated more than $16,000 through this. 

The report accuses Berry of more than $9,000 worth of unauthorized transfers from the adult’s savings accounts, according to the report. Some of these transactions, adding up to $4,000, were transferred directly into the pastor’s personal checking account.  The report also claims Berry made “questionable transfers” of more than $9,000 from accounts belonging to the man and his wife to unknown accounts.

Additionally, Berry used approximately $900 of the adult’s money to pay illegally for dental care for Berry and his wife, the report added. He used another $800 of the man’s money to cover the cost of repairs for the pastor’s personal vehicle.

The report also alleges that Berry controlled the adult’s Social Security and pension funds, totaling more than $366,000, without any documented or legal authority.

The report said that Berry put these funds into a savings account over which the pastor had complete control. The account had numerous “questionable purchases,” including restaurant purchases, fuel purchases, various retail store purchases, a loan for a Super Bowl party, and numerous cash transactions, the report said.

Despite this report, Berry’s church is continuing to maintain day-to-day operations, according to a church statement.

“All areas of ministry under ATTAIN will continue as usual, Sunday services, Thursday night Bible study, Recovery ministry, and the Community Kitchen,” the statement said. “Thank you all for your support during this time!”

Freelance journalist Liz Lykins escribe for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.