A pastor from North Carolina has been charged with embezzlement after misappropriating funds intended for hurricane relief.
Jeffrey Brian Merrow, 60, was arrested and charged with felony embezzlement and felony larceny following a thorough investigation into his actions, according to The Christian Post.
Merrow, who previously served as the pastor of Garden Creek Baptist Church, now faces legal consequences for allegedly misusing donations collected to aid victims of Hurricane Helene.
The investigation into Merrow's activities began after members of his congregation raised concerns in October, just after Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina.
Congregants reported instances of fraud and theft, including discrepancies in church receipts and missing donations.
The church had collected substantial amounts of cash from its members and the local community to support hurricane victims, but many of these funds were reportedly never used for their intended purpose.
Additionally, donated items such as generators, chainsaws, and heaters were reported missing.
Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage across the region, amounting to $59.6 billion (£48.2 billion) in losses and over 100 lives lost.
Unfortunately, these financial crimes are not the first for Merrow, who has a criminal history spanning nearly two decades.
He is currently serving supervised probation for a previous charge of “Obtaining Property by False Pretense greater than $100,000,” an offense unrelated to the embezzlement charges.
His criminal record includes a 2006 conviction for failing to provide receipts or contracts for sales in Iredell County and a 2021 larceny conviction in Camden County, where he received a five-year supervised probation sentence.
Merrow had also maintained a YouTube channel featuring his sermons, as well as a blog intended to offer religious insights and discussions on topics like prayer and the Ten Commandments.
However, the blog link is now inactive, and the church has since appointed Richard Anderson as the interim pastor.
Merrow no longer serves in his former role at Garden Creek Baptist Church.