A Dallas pastor has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of stealing property from three churches by filing fraudulent deeds. The conviction and sentencing of Whitney Foster, 56, were announced by Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot in a news release.
Foster was found guilty of theft of property valued at $300,000 or more, though the combined value of the stolen properties exceeded $800,000. “Stealing real estate is an incredibly serious and damaging crime,” Creuzot said. “It’s worse than the theft of someone’s vehicle or other possessions. When someone steals property, we must hold them accountable because they are hurting people.”
Foster, who led a small congregation without a physical location, fraudulently transferred ownership of church buildings and land by listing fake leadership for the victim churches as the grantors and naming his church as the grantee. The affected churches were First Christian Church of Lancaster, Canada Drive Christian Church in Dallas, and Church at Nineveh in Dallas.
According to Creuzot, two of the properties are still listed under Foster’s name or his church’s name, and his congregation has been meeting at one of them. The third property remains tangled in legal issues caused by Foster’s fraudulent actions.
In addition to the three churches involved in the case, prosecutors presented evidence of seven additional fraudulent deeds. Authorities are urging homeowners in Texas to register for a deed fraud alert service, which sends an email alert whenever a document is filed on their property.
