$570,000 is missing
Former Church Financial Secretary Arrested for Embezzlement
Posted
The Nassau County Sheriff's Office has arrested 44-year-old Melissa Ganey English (formerly known as Melissa Ganey Rhoden) on charges of embezzlement from Amelia Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach.
NCSO's investigation revealed that from January 2019 to October 2024, English had been serving as Amelia Baptist Church's financial secretary, a position she held for approximately 11 years. During that time, she was responsible for maintaining the church's financial records.
Two new church financial committee members noticed discrepancies after reviewing bank documents and records, finding that funds were lower than they should have been. Upon examining credit card statements from a church credit card issued directly to English, they discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars had been used for her personal expenses.
English was terminated from her position shortly after these discoveries. The church subsequently hired a contractor to review all financial transactions from 2019 to 2024. The contractor found numerous discrepancies and fraudulent charges.
When NCSO began their investigation, it was revealed that in 2019, English embezzled nearly $40,000 from the church. In 2020, she embezzled nearly $90,000 through unauthorized charges, personal credit card payments, and additional payroll payments to herself. In 2021, English embezzled more than $100,000, spending funds on Amazon purchases, SeaWorld tickets, Hey Dude Shoes, hotel stays, airlines, and a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. In 2022, English embezzled nearly $125,000 on purchases including cruise lines, Airbnb rentals, concert tickets, and more. In 2023, she embezzled just over $123,000 on fraudulent charges at Amazon, hotels, and Walmart. In 2024, she continued issuing herself additional payroll payments and embezzled more than $90,000, which included spending on cruise lines, baseball tickets, hotels, and other personal expenses.
In total, from 2019 to 2024, English allegedly embezzled more than $570,000 from Amelia Baptist Church. She has been charged with grand theft over $100,000, a first-degree felony, for knowingly and unlawfully using the church's credit card for personal expenses totaling over $500,000.
“This is a significant breach of trust that has deeply impacted the church community," said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “The suspect abused her position of trust for years, using church funds meant for ministry and community service to instead fund her personal lifestyle. Our office is committed to seeking justice for the victims of this extensive financial crime.”
A warrant was issued on March 25, 2025. Following a "Wanted Wednesday" post on April 9, 2025, English was located and detained in Baker County. We would like to thank our Law Enforcement partners at the Baker County Sheriff's Office for locating the suspect and swiftly taking her into custody.
Comments
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JoeW
God gave us the brain to work out problems.
However, we use it to create more problems.
Friday, April 11 Report this
DouglasM
All non-profits with lax financial oversight are ripe for embezzling. Usually there is just one person in charge of the money. This should be a lesson to all non-profit organizations, especially those with significant $$$. If it wasn't for the two "new" members thinking something wasn't right, this crime may have gone on for many more years.
And kudos for pursuing this with the authorities. Too often the offender is terminated and nothing gets reported, which just leads to more of this illegal activity. It is tempting when the odds of getting caught are low and then facing significant charges is even lower.
Saturday, April 12 Report this