A former pastor of Mt. Pisgah Church in Clarkton plead guilty to seven counts of embezzlement Thursday and ordered to repay $61,824 to the church building fund.
Retonya Judtha Freeman, 49, was sentenced to 60 years supervised probation and to make restitution by Bladen County Superior Court Judge Douglas R. Sasser under a conditional discharge agreement with the state. If Freeman meets conditions of the sentence, then the charges will be dismissed.
The embezzlement took place over a four year period beginning in 2009 when Mt. Pisgah was raising money to purchase its own place of worship, according to a court summary of the case. The church was renting a building for services at the time.
Freeman had a debit card that had access to the building fund’s money, according to court statements. From Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2013, Freeman used the money for her benefit unbeknown to the congregation.
The church conducted an accounting audit in 2014 and found there wasn’t any money in the building fund account, according to court statements.
“The parishioners were devastated,” Bladen County Assistant District Attorney Quinton McGee told the court. “They had to start all over raising money. They don’t wish any ill will, but they want restitution so they can have their own building.”
The church since has been renamed New Faith Ministries of Clarkton. Freeman currently lives in Wake County.
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