Former Vernon AME Church pastor Keith Rydell Mayes Sr. pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion after prosecutors said he embezzled more than $504,000 from the historic Tulsa church.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the guilty plea on September 14.
Mayes, 63, became Vernon AME’s senior pastor in October 2021 and oversaw church finances, donations, collections and disbursements…