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PASTOR APOLOGIZES TO CONGREGATION FOR MISUSE OF CHURCH CREDIT CARD: First AME Church in Los Angeles received a plea for forgiveness by minister who used church funds for personal use.
Hunter, 51, used church credit cards to pay for at least $122,000 in personal expenses, including family vacations, clothes, jewelry, bikes and auto supplies, the L.A. Times reported. The pastor and church finance officials said he had signed an agreement to repay the money and instituted stricter accounting policies, such as spending guidelines and more frequent audits, to guard against future problems.
John Hunter also told the Times that he is working with federal tax officials to repay back taxes, penalties and interest amassed over 17 years, which has resulted in federal tax liens of more than $309,000 against himself and his wife, Denise Brown Hunter. He explained that he had legally opted out of the Social Security system several years ago, as ministers are allowed to do, but that the IRS had no record of it and assessed the taxes.
Hunter became head of First AME, one of the oldest, largest and most prominent African American churches in L.A. in 2004 after the retirement of the Rev. Cecil L. "Chip" Murray. The church drew national and international attention for its passionate social gospel that advocated political activism, social justice and assistance to the needy through church development of affordable housing, job training and other services.
Dewey Rhodes, 54, an L.A. business consultant, said he trusted Hunter to do the right thing in resolving the issues. Rhodes said he had heard "buzz" about alleged financial improprieties since Hunter was appointed but had always dismissed them as groundless and did so again Sunday.
Other congregants said they questioned how the credit card spending, which occurred between January 2005 and January 2008, could have slipped by church finance officials for so long. It finally surfaced this year during an independent audit and an investigation into Hunter's financial affairs by the Internal Revenue Service. IRS officials have declined to comment on the investigation. (Source: LA Times)
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