Rev. Charles Southall III Admits To Defrauding Louisiana Church Of $900,000
On Tuesday (October 18), Rev. Charles Southall III conceded to defrauding his church, its housing ministries, his parishioners and a charter school of almost $900,000 that he then used for personal gain.
According to NOLA.com, the 64-year-old, who led First Emanuel Baptist Church in New Orleans and Baton Rouge for more than three decades, pleaded guilty to money laundering in U.S. District Court after prosecutors disclosed the details of his crime. They say he exploited his position as the leader of his church, soliciting and then stealing tithes and donations from parishioners.
In one instance, Southall withdrew a $10,000 tithe from a parishioner in 2019, then diverted the funds to his own use. In another, he asked for donations from a parishioner over the course of four years for charity and church improvements but converted over $100,000 of the donations to his own accounts.
Southall is also accused of diverting some $150,000 in rental payments made to the church, which also owns properties, to his personal accounts as well as poaching profits made from selling property owned by the church, pocketing over $500,000, according to prosecutors.
In total, the prosecution totaled that Southall laundered $889,565 through all of his nefarious endeavors and used the money to buy a vehicle, tickets and other items.
As a part of his plea agreement, Southall has agreed to repay more than $687,000 to First Emanuel Baptist Church, some $85,000 to the Spirit of Excellence Academy and more than $110,000 to individual victims of his schemes, according to NOLA.com.
Southall faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on January 17.
