A former police officer and security personnel for a Mississippi church has been sentenced after being found guilty of embezzling thousands of dollars from a Catholic congregation.
Tonya Anne Laville, 48, was sentenced on Monday by Judge Randi Mueller of Harrison County Circuit Court to a pretrial diversion, which will allow Laville to avoid prison time if she completes certain terms.
Laville acknowledged culpability for her actions, reported the Biloxi Sun Herald earlier this week, with attorneys stating that the former police officer had made restitution in the case.
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A former officer with the Gulfport Police Department, Laville reportedly embezzled approximately $8,600 from St. James Catholic Church in Gulfport while working as security for the congregation.
Laville used Cash App to embezzle the money, having access to the bank and routing numbers, and using the funds to pay her rent and late fees on a home in Bethel Estates in Pass Christian.
Eventually, the church staff discovered that the money was missing and contacted the authorities, who opened an investigation into Laville. The former police officer also illegally obtained $7,500 from a Subway store located in Pass Christian.
In January of last year, authorities arrested Laville on a felony charge of wire fraud and booked her into the Harrison County jail. She was released on a $5,000 bond soon after.
At the time of her arrest, Laville was an employee of the Harrison County School District, serving as assistant director of security since March 2022.
A Harrison County grand jury found evidence to indict Laville in January.
According to Todd Johnson, co-director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, in 2023 alone, as much as $62 billion, or 6.6% of all funds given by Christians globally to religious and secular entities, was lost to embezzlement and fraud.
“Organizations that have means for reporting suspected embezzlement (such as hotlines) tend to catch cases of fraud before they become massive. Other proactive measures include more frequent managerial reviews, internal (not just external) financial audits, and closer monitoring of the actions of employees,” Johnson advised.
“Whether on a single computer or a network, financial information should be accessible only by those who absolutely need it. Users should have unique identification numbers and be required to change passwords periodically. Only the appropriate leadership figures should be able to delete or change transactions.”
