A Minnesota church treasurer who stole nearly $150,000 (around £111,000) from his own congregation has been found liable in a civil lawsuit, a judgment handed down after the man repaid just $716 (£531.62) of the missing funds. Ellis Thompson drained the bank accounts of the Church of Christ in Duluth during his time as treasurer, writing unapproved cheques and taking cash directly from cash machines before the shortfall was finally noticed by local leadership.
To recall, the missing funds were discovered in the summer of 2023 when church officials realised exactly $148,282 (£110,097.16) had vanished from their bank accounts. Thompson had served as the financial custodian for the congregation since February 2022.
