A former Missouri bank vice president and pastor has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after running an investment scheme that defrauded victims and his employer of millions of dollars.
The 45-year-old Butler resident worked as a vice president and loan officer at Community First Bank while serving as a pastor, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.
From April 2024 until his termination in February 2026, the defendant solicited funds for buying and quickly selling cattle but instead deposited the money into an investment account where he repeatedly traded in small-capitalization and micro-cap securities, ultimately losing all the funds.
As a loan officer, he served on approximately 29 loans and lines of credit totaling roughly $4.48 million at the bank. He created some loans without victims' knowledge or approval, including at least three in February 2026 designed to pay off earlier fraudulent loans.
Prosecutors said the defendant used his position at Community First Bank to obtain loans using the identities of other people. Between April 2024 and February 2026, he defrauded individuals and the financial institution of at least $9,395,882.22.
According to court documents, he used some victim funds to pay earlier investors in order to conceal the scheme.
A sentencing hearing is pending following a pre-sentence investigation.
