HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia man has been sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison for stealing more than $487,000 from a church.
Robert Dale Adkins, 76, of Ona, was sentenced in federal court in Huntington for mail fraud. He also was ordered to pay restitution.
Prosecutors said Adkins was the treasurer at the Antioch Baptist Church near Ona from around 2012 until late 2018. He had access to the church’s checking account and was authorized to sign checks on behalf of the church.
But checks he signed went to pay personal creditors as well as for personal items without the church’s approval, prosecutors said.
“Stealing is one thing, but stealing almost half a million dollars from a church is both remarkable and tragic,” U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said in a news release.
