Former chairman gets prison for stealing $11M from LA church
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors say a former chairman of the board of a Los Angeles church has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in federal prison for stealing more than $11 million in church funds. Charles Thomas Sebesta pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud. A judge on Monday also ordered Sebesta to pay nearly $11.5 million in restitution to his former employer, the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist. Prosecutors say Sebesta made payments to bank accounts in the name of fictitious companies he created, as well as to accounts he held in his own name and in the names of his family members.
