According to the feds, a church employee stole almost $600,000 for gambling and vacations in Florida.

INDIANAPOLIS – An Indiana woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing nearly $600,000 from a church where she worked.

From 2008 to 2021, Marie Carson illegally transferred about $573,836.59 from the business accounts of the Catholic Church and its affiliated school in Indianapolis to her personal bank accounts, according to court documents.

The US Justice Department said on Monday that the actual monetary loss is likely much higher as Carson, 72, admitted to church officials that she started the scheme in 2004.

“For more than thirteen years, this defendant has abused his position of trust to embezzle church and school money from parishioners,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Her greed and desire for luxurious vacations outweighed her interest in complying with the requirements of our criminal laws and the teachings of her church, “Thou shalt not steal.” Today’s verdict sends a clear message to those who might try to steal, cheat and embezzle: We will find you, you will be held accountable, and you will be held accountable.”

Carson pleaded guilty to wire fraud. The verdict was issued by U.S. District Court Chief Tanya Walton Pratt, who also ordered that Carson be placed under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Board for two years after her release from federal prison and that she pay the full amount of the stolen money as restitution.

The Justice Department said that during those 13 years, Carson worked for the ward as a business manager and was responsible for processing checks received from parishioners, conducting financial transactions on behalf of the church and school, and was responsible for managing the ward’s finances.

According to the Justice Department, her scheme was exposed in November 2021 while she was on leave from her position. Carson’s temporary replacement noticed suspicious transfers from the parish’s gaming account to an external bank account. Further investigation resulted in the discovery of over $289,000 in transfers to multiple accounts, including a phantom account created in the church’s name.

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Carson was able to save the scheme by making false entries in the database used by the parish to track payments. The Justice Department said that Carson and her husband spent a significant amount of money on casino gambling and an annual month-long vacation in Florida.

“This scheme was fueled by pure greed. For more than a decade, the defendant abused the trust of the church and its parishioners to line her own pocket,” said FBI Special Agent in Indianapolis Herbert Stapleton. “Although she may have benefited in the short term, in the end, this perpetrator’s deception landed her behind bars. The FBI and our partners will continue to identify and investigate those involved in such illegal schemes and bring them to justice.”

This story was reported from Los Angeles.