Pastor of Newbirth Christian Center Sentenced for Defrauding Government Food Program

Pastor newbirth Christian Center

A pastor of a Newbirth Christian Center in Chicago, Illinois has actually been sentenced to more than 3 years in jail for defrauding a food program for low-income kids.

Robbie Wilkerson, 50, pleaded guilty in May to wire scams and loan laundering, inning accordance with a declaration from the United States Department of Justice. He was sentenced Friday to 37 months in jail and purchased to pay $440,964 in restitution.

His spouse, Tasha Wilkerson, likewise pleaded guilty to theft of federal government funds and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in jail, district attorneys stated. She was purchased to pay $40,001 in restitution.

Robbie Wilkerson was the starting pastor of New Birth Christian Center, a non-denominational church at 5335 W. Le Moyne St. in the Austin community, district attorneys stated. In between 2008 and 2010, the church ran a summer season food program to supply meals to low-income trainees when schools were not in session.

Robbie Wilkerson confessed in court that he sent about $714,000 in incorrect or deceitful claims to the Illinois State Board of Education, more than $250,000 above the allocated expense of the program, district attorneys stated. The claims showed that the program supplied about 267,000 meals to low-income kids, when it in fact served less than 100,000 meals.

The Wilkersons utilized as much as $450,000 of the program’s financing on individual expenditures and embezzled more than $100,000 from the program, consisting of more than $60,000 in direct payments to themselves, inning accordance with the justice department. They provided $10,000 to family members, withdrew $20,000 in money from the church’s savings account, utilized $46,000 to purchase realty in Chicago and utilized $37,109 to purchase a house in Memphis, Tennessee, for Robbie Wilkerson’s moms and dads.

3 other church authorities likewise pleaded guilty in May to one count each of theft of federal government funds, district attorneys stated. Anthony Hall, 50, of Downers Grove, another pastor and administrator of the food program in 2010, was sentenced to 5 years of federal probation, consisting of 10 months of house confinement, and purchased to pay $40,001 in restitution.

An operations supervisor for the 2010 program, 52-year-old Richard Shumate and his 49-year-old better half, Evelyn Shumate, were sentenced to 5 months each in jail, followed by 5 months of house confinement, the justice department stated. The couple, who reside in Romeoville, were likewise purchased to pay $49,964 in restitution.

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