Church official in St. Bernard Parish booked with felony theft by systematic embezzlement of more than $100,000 since 2006

An official of a church in St. St. Bernard Parish was booked Friday with felony theft by systematic embezzlement of more than $100,000 since 2006, following an investigation requested by church members, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Trinette Johnson, 39, of Violet, longtime church secretary and account executive for the Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 1904 Goodwill Dr. Violet, surrendered at the parish jail on Friday after she was told by authorities a judge had signed a warrant for her arrest for felony theft, the sheriff said.

She was expected to be released on bond set at $10,000.

Johnson is accused of systematically misappropriating $101,872 of church funds by means of fraudulent conduct and practices since August 16, 2006. Sheriff Pohlmann said that at the end of February of this year the Sheriff’s Office was presented a letter signed by 33 members of the church saying the body of the church at Greater Mount Olive Missisionay Baptist Church wanted to pursue criminal charges in a matter where church funds were missing.

The department was presented with a copy church banking records going back to March 2006 and information that a forensic specialist with a CPA firm was retained to conduct accounting duties relative to identify the suspected theft of church funds.

The church trustee board reviewed a financial report submitted by the firm they hired, Sheriff Pohlmann said, and made the determination that Trinette Johnson, the church account executive, had been responsible for allegedly misappropriating more than $100,000 in church funds, since Aug. 16, 2006.

A judge signed a warrant for her arrest.