TULSA, Okla. — Federal prosecutors say a former Tulsa church deacon used his own financial authority inside the church to move nearly $1.5M.
The former business manager and later parish manager at Parish of Christ the King, John Sommer, was charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court with bank fraud and unlawful monetary transactions.
According to federal court documents, Sommer worked for the parish from 2011 through October 2025 and was authorized to initiate ACH transfers of up to $30,000 a day without additional approval.
Prosecutors allege that between March 11 and October 8 of 2025, he made at least 77 unauthorized ACH transfers from church accounts at Vast Bank to accounts he owned and controlled, totaling approximately $ 1.57 million.
The filing says he kept those transfers under the $30,000 limit to avoid detection and altered church accounting records to make them appear to be legitimate payments to vendors, including payroll and retirement service providers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says the church's total loss was approximately $ 1.46 million. In a statement, Christ the King says Sommer admitted to unauthorized transfers, was placed on leave from the ministry on October 8, 2025, and his employment ended on October 31, 2025.
The parish said $1M was recovered through insurance, with a plan to cover the rest.
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