LOUISA COUNTY, Va. -- Brenda Ragland worshipped and worked at a Virginia church for over 20 years. According to Louisa Commonwealth's Attorney Rusty McGuire, the former church secretary faces 280 years in prison for stealing from the church and its members.
Ragland, 64, was recently convicted of 14 counts of embezzlement.
"It is a sad day for the church. They put their faith in Mrs. Ragland to manage the church resources and she violated that faith by turning church resources into her personal piggy bank," McGuire wrote in a statement following the conviction. “Ragland wreaked financial havoc on the church that she was supposed to be helping."
Ragland's crimes came to light in 2023 when the church tried to donate to another church and discovered there was not enough money in the bank to do so.
"The discovery prompted the church to obtain and examine their financial records, which were turned over to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation," a statement from the Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office said. "The investigation revealed that in addition to taking funds from the church’s bank account, Ragland deposited congregation members’ tithings to the church via Cashapp in her personal bank account for several years. Unfortunately, bank records only went back seven years. Therefore, the loss could be much higher."
Ragland is free on bond pending her sentencing on January 27, 2025.
When asked the name of the church where Ragland worked, the Louisa Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office replied it was "not disclosing that information at this time."
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