People put money in a church offering believing it will keep the ministry running, help families and serve the community.
A federal jury has now found that Louisiana pastor Dale Sanders used church money for gambling, dining and his own living expenses—and that he tried to obstruct the investigation when federal authorities came looking.
Sanders, 56, of Kenner, was convicted July 17 on 25 counts involving wire fraud, access device fraud and obstruction of a federal investigation.
The verdict followed a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long.
This was not an accusation announced at a press conference.
It was a verdict returned by a jury after hearing the evidence.
CASE UPDATE: After hearing FBI New Orleans' case, the jury finds 56-year-old Dale Sanders guilty of stealing church funds to pay for his own gambling, dining, and living expenses. Now the pastor faces up to 20 years in prison. The @EDLANews press release details the case:… pic.twitter.com/Ae5HCDeQIX
— FBI New Orleans (@FBINewOrleans) July 21, 2026
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said the evidence showed Sanders defrauded two congregations identified in the federal release as Church A and Church B. Prosecutors proved that he withdrew church funds and transferred money from a church bank account into accounts he controlled.
The scheme relied on false promises and representations, according to the government. Sanders also used a church debit card for unauthorized personal transactions, giving him another route into money that had been entrusted to the congregation.
Altogether, the government said Sanders received more than $340,000 in cash, goods and services that did not belong to him.
The destination of that money makes the betrayal even uglier: gambling, dining and ordinary living expenses.
Money entrusted for ministry was treated like private income.
The jury also convicted Sanders of obstruction after prosecutors showed that he supplied a falsified record in response to a federal grand jury subpoena.
So this did not end with unauthorized charges and transfers. When the investigation reached the document stage, the jury found that Sanders answered with a false record.
MinistryWatch identified the churches when Sanders was indicted in the spring as Fifth African Baptist Church in New Orleans and Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie. The outlet reported that he served as pastor of both congregations.
The original federal indictment focused on alleged debit-card transactions between April 2020 and April 2024. It also sought forfeiture of approximately $343,293 and accused Sanders of falsifying a 2023 contribution statement to interfere with the federal inquiry.
At the indictment stage, Sanders denied stealing from either church. He argued in a public video that Second New Guide had experienced financial-management problems, that his salary had been cut and that another unnamed individual was behind the accusations.
He was entitled to make that defense.
Then the case went to trial, prosecutors presented the records, and the jury convicted him.
A video montage posted Thursday paired images of Sanders with footage of him preaching from a pulpit. The sermon footage was left undated.
The contrast is difficult to miss.
Louisiana pastor Dale Sanders found guilty of stealing over $340K from churches and using it to gamble and fund a lavish lifestyle.
Now, as he faces up to 20 years in prison, he told his congregants to “pray for me and my enemies, and ask god to work for him” pic.twitter.com/GSOXdFqucc
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) July 23, 2026
WDSU reported that sentencing is set for October 13. Sanders faces a statutory maximum of up to 20 years in prison, along with a potential fine, supervised release and mandatory assessments.
The potential fine is $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss. The court may also impose up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment and a $100 mandatory assessment for every count of conviction.
FBI New Orleans investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn McHugh and Tracey Knight of the Financial Crimes Unit prosecuted it.
That 20-year figure is the statutory ceiling, not a prediction of the sentence Judge Long will impose. The punishment will come after the court reviews the federal sentencing rules, Sanders’ history, the financial harm and the arguments presented by both sides.
The verdict, however, is already in.
Church fraud carries a wound that an ordinary balance sheet cannot show.
A congregation is held together by trust. Members give because they believe the person standing behind the pulpit understands that every dollar represents sacrifice—sometimes from people who have very little to spare.
When that trust is exploited, the damage does not stop at the bank account. It reaches the elderly member who gave faithfully, the family that believed it was supporting ministry and every honest pastor forced to answer for another man’s conduct.
Sanders alone is responsible for Sanders’ conduct. His conviction is no excuse to smear every church or every minister.
A title, a collar and a pulpit cannot become shields against scrutiny.
Churches need receipts, independent review, multiple sets of eyes on accounts and leaders willing to ask hard questions before hundreds of thousands of dollars disappear.
Faith does not require financial blindness.
Sanders asked two congregations to trust him with spiritual authority and access to their money.
A federal jury found that he abused both.
Sentencing will determine how much time he serves.
The verdict has already exposed where the money went—and what that betrayal cost.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
