A jury has found a Louisiana pastor guilty of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from worshippers and using the funds to support his lavish lifestyle.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana reports that 56-year-old Dale Sanders of Kenner, Louisiana, committed fraud against two churches “in order to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”
The report details that Sanders would withdraw funds and transfer money in the Fifth African Baptist Church in New Orleans and the Second New Guide Missionary Baptist Church in Metairie’s accounts to his own, using it to fund his gambling, hotel rooms, casino visits, dining, and living expenses.
“Surprised and disappointed”
CASE UPDATE from @FBINewOrleans: Pastor Found Guilty by Jury of Wire Fraud, Access Device Fraud, and Obstruction of a Federal Investigation
— FBI (@FBI) July 22, 2026
After hearing FBI New Orleans' case, a jury found 56-year-old Dale Sanders guilty of stealing church funds to pay for his own gambling,… pic.twitter.com/qil368Fhu5
It also states that he used the churches’ debit cards as if they were his own, racking up over $340,000 worth of cash, goods, and services transactions. In addition to all that, when faced with a grand jury subpoena, Sanders provided a falsified record to the court.
This added up to a conviction on 25 counts ranging from wire fraud to access device fraud, and obstruction of a federal investigation related to a years-long investigation.
Sanders attempted to portray himself as being unfairly persecuted by authorities after his indictment in April, telling his congregants to pray for him and “God is already working and moving by his Spirit.” He also called for the congregation to “pray for my enemy”, telling them if they did this, “God will not only bless me, but he will deal with them.”
Sanders is the author of the book Termites in the Church, which he bills as the story of his father, who he says was “falsely accused of stealing from the church he’d pastored for more than forty years”:
“Termites in the Church has all the making of a juicy fiction drama, complete with lies, theft, lawyer tricks, and courtroom melee. The only difference is, it’s all true.”
He’s also the author of the self-help book Strut Your Stutter, which urges readers to be “peacock proud” and to “turn your disabilities and thoughts of negativity into piles of unlimited possibilities and watch as your trials burst forth into triumphs.”
Sanders is due to be sentenced on October 13 and is facing up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release after serving time behind bars, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count. Sanders’ attorney says he’s “surprised and disappointed” by the jury’s decision and plans to appeal.
