A Dallas pastor received a 35-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him of stealing three churches in a deed fraud scheme.
Whitney Foster, the pastor of the True Foundation Non-Denominational Church, was convicted of felony theft in connection with three churches: First Christian Church of Lancaster, Canada Drive Christian Church, and Church at Nineveh in Dallas.
The jury found Foster committed felony theft of $300,000. The indictment combined the theft of the three churches into a single case.
Foster had earlier rejected a plea offer for a lesser punishment. He testified during the four-day trial in his defense.
“Stealing real estate is just as much a theft as stealing someone’s purse or car,” prosecutor Phillip Clark told WFAA after the trial. “But it is much more complicated to unwind or fix.”
Although Foster has been convicted, Clark said the churches are still having to untangle issues connected to the deed fraud.
Continue reading at WFAA-TV