TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram announced
that the former pastor of a Newark church
pleaded guilty today to stealing $157,000
that he fraudulently solicited as loans from
parishioners and religious associates.
According
to Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni,
Steven Parrott, 53, of Newark, former pastor
of the Lighthouse Temple Church, pleaded guilty
to second-degree misconduct by a corporate
official before Superior Court Judge Patricia
Richmond LeBon in Burlington County. The charge
was contained in an indictment obtained by
the Division of Criminal Justice on June 12,
2008.
In
pleading guilty, Parrott admitted that he
stole $157,580 from five victims named in
the indictment. Under the plea agreement,
Parrott must pay full restitution to the victims,
and the state will recommend that he be sentenced
to three years in state prison.
Deputy
Attorney General Valerie Noto took the guilty
plea for the Division of Criminal Justice
Major Crimes Bureau. Judge LeBon scheduled
sentencing for Jan. 22.
An
investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice revealed that Parrott asked to borrow
money from the victims, claiming he would
pay the victims back quickly with large sums
of interest. Parrott falsely told one victim
he needed money to bury a family member. He
told the other victims that “the Lord”
wanted him to ask for the money to repair
his church and make a down payment on a $6
million dollar project to create an after-school
program in memory of his father. One parishioner
who had known Parrott all of her life gave
him $75,000.
Parrott
falsely claimed he was about to receive a
major grant for the memorial project and would
pay the loans back with that money, which
was supposed to come from the government or
a wealthy donor. Parrott lied about the project
and never intended to repay the money. Rather
than spending the money on the church, he
used it to pay his personal expenses.
Detective
Richard Watson, Detective Kimberly Allen,
Principal Research Analyst Rita Gillis and
Deputy Attorney General Noto conducted the
investigation for the Division of Criminal
Justice Major Crimes Bureau. Deputy Attorney
General Noto presented the case to the state
grand jury.
The
Lighthouse Temple Church is a small parish
on Market Street in Newark that is part of
the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the
Apostolic Faith Inc., a New York-based Pentecostal
denomination with member churches located
primarily in the eastern United States.
In
addition to serving as pastor, Parrott previously
served as a bishop for the national church,
leading a diocese that included churches in
Mercer, Essex and Hudson counties. He was
removed from all church posts after the alleged
thefts came to light in 2007.
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