A judge sentenced Texas pastor Whitney Foster to 35 years in prison after a jury convicted him of stealing three churches valued at over $800,000, according to Dallas County District Attorney (DA) John Creuzot’s Office.
Foster was the pastor of True Foundation, a nondenominational church in Dallas that did not have a physical building to congregate. He filed fraudulent deeds to three churches attempting to steal their real estate, Creuzot’s office said. On the deeds, he reportedly listed a fake pastor and other officials of the church. He then proceeded to list his name as the grantee, according to Creuzot’s Office. (RELATED: Real Estate Tycoon Sentenced To Death For Fraud Scheme: REPORT)
“Stealing real estate is an incredibly serious and damaging crime. It’s worse than the theft of someone’s vehicle or other possessions,” Creuzot said. “When someone steals property, we must hold them accountable because they are hurting people.”
The leader of a small Dallas church will spend the next 35 years behind bars for stealing real estate from three other churches. https://t.co/HOOaG13wek
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) June 10, 2024
The churches that fell victim to Foster include First Christian Church of Lancaster, Canada Drive Christian Church and Church at Nineveh, two of which are still under Foster’s name, the DA’s office says.
“Deed Fraud cases are not simply disputes; they are lies and fraud – they are theft – and they are deeply damaging. I’m so grateful that the jury saw the truth in this case and held the defendant to account,” Phillip Clark, the lead prosecutor of the case, said.
A jury had also previously convicted Foster of other crimes, including Identity Theft and Arson, the press release reads.
The First Christian Church of Lancaster has been through property deed troubles before. In May 2021, Rev. Melissa Bitting’s congregation received a notice that someone else owned the church, according to WFAA News.
Records that had been filed since March 2019 revealed an individual who faked being a chairman of the church had deeded the $700,000 property to someone not affiliated with it for $10 according to WFAA.
