Ex-Church Worker Pleads Guilty to $500,000 Theft
A former graphics director at Hope Chapel in Hermosa Beach pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling more than $500,000 from the church, the district attorney’s office said.
Margaret Crowley, 36, who was charged with one felony count of grand theft, surrendered in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday. Deputy Dist. Atty. Sandra Flannery said the thefts occurred between 1988 and 1996, when Crowley submitted check requests for made-up expenses and pocketed the money.
Flannery said Crowley, who handled budget and expense accounts for the graphics department, spent the money on herself. Church officials discovered the discrepancies after Crowley moved to Texas and a new employee was hired.
Crowley could receive up to five years in prison when she is sentenced on Oct. 7.
Church officials could not be reached for comment.
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