A former parish secretary and bookkeeper from DeSoto, Missouri, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for embezzling over $580,000 from her church. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross handed down the sentence on Friday and ordered Corie M. Boyer, 50, of Jefferson County, Missouri, to repay $581,337.
Boyer stole funds from the parish between 2017 and 2024 while managing the church’s financial records and helping with fundraising activities. According to court documents, she misused parish credit cards meant for fundraising expenses by making personal purchases. She also wrote checks from the parish account to herself and cashed them, used church bank accounts to pay off her own credit card balances, and took cash donations given by parishioners during weekly collections.
The investigation found that Boyer spent some of the stolen money gambling and used additional funds for a family vacation, shopping trips, tax payments, rent expenses, and a relative’s college tuition. To conceal her actions, she falsified church financial records.
“Corie Boyer betrayed her parish when she abused her position of trust for personal gain. She stole funds from the church, spent the money on herself and others, and took steps to cover up the theft,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation St. Louis Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “IRS-CI remains deeply committed to investigating such abuses of trust and will work with our law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the victims.”
Boyer pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by both the FBI and IRS – Criminal Investigation division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted.
