Former administrator, ex-pastor in Vero Beach stole $1.5M
Vero Beach, Fl (treasurecoast.com)- A nine-month fraud investigation has resulted in the arrest of a former Catholic church parish administrator in Vero Beach after donations were fraudulently deposited for years, police said.
Here is the scoop!
On December 2021, the Vero Beach Police Department was contacted by the Diocese of Palm Beach in regards to a fraudulent bank account and possible misappropriation of funds that occurred over the course of approximately five years at Holy Cross Catholic Church , 500 Iris Lane, Vero Beach, FL.
The Vero Beach Police Department has recently concluded a nine-month fraud investigation, resulting in the arrest of Holy Cross Catholic Church’s former parish administrator, Deborah True. The investigation revealed that in 2012 Deborah True and former pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Fr. Richard Murphy, opened a bank account in the name of “Holy Cross Catholic Church”, which was hidden from the Catholic diocese of Palm Beach. Bank records show that nearly $1.5 million of parishioners’ donations were fraudulently deposited into the account, since 2015.
From 2015 until 2020, Deborah True used over $500,000 of those funds to pay off personal lines of credit. An additional $147,000 was withdrawn from the account and deposited into Deborah True’s personal checking account. The investigation revealed that former Pastor Father Richard Murphy also personally benefited from the funds in the account. Father Richard Murphy passed away in 2020 and, therefore, no criminal investigation was opened against Father Richard Murphy.
On 09/19/22, Deborah True turned herself in at the Indian River County Jail on one count of Organized Fraud over $50,000.00. Deborah True has since bonded out and is awaiting trial.
