Authorities in the US say a woman who worked for her Florida church for 25 years will now go to prison following accusations that she embezzled nearly $900,000 (£712,000).

The US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said Heather Darrey, 45, had been sentenced to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in June.

Father Len Plazewski told news outlets of the “shock” among the community, saying that Darrey was known as a kind person among the parish of Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.

As record and finance minister for the church, Darrey had access to accounting software to generate cheques for vendors that worked with the church, according to federal officials. They said that from October 2023 onwards, Darrey would get legitimate cheques for vendors signed, before destroying them and writing new ones for the same amount made out to herself.

The investigation revealed Darrey spent the money on mortgage payments, car and boat loans, and credit card bills for clothing and holidays.

Investigators said the church’s finance department flagged suspicious activity in the accounting system and questioned Darrey in March, and that she had told them that whilst she stole some money, she’d attempted to “minimize the amount”. She was fired, but asked the church not to report the incident to the police.

“I don’t think anyone’s rejoicing, but there are consequences for violating trust and violating the law”, Plazewski said. “The whole thing is very sad.”