A federal jury convicted a New Orleans-area pastor last week of more than two-dozen fraud charges, finding he siphoned some $340,000 from his congregations to spend on gambling, meals and living expenses.
During the five-day trial, prosecutors told jurors how pastor Dale Sanders, 56, withdrew cash and made wire transfers from bank accounts belonging to congregations he led in Metairie and New Orleans. Sanders has led worship at both Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie and Fifth African Baptist Church in New Orleans since 2013, his social media pages say.
Sanders’ lawyer, Michael Magner, argued at trial that his client’s use of a church debit card was authorized under a “corporate resolution” between Sanders and church officials, which they entered after Sanders agreed to stop taking a salary as the church sought to exit dire financial straits…