In June 2024, a Sallas, TX pastor was jailed for stealing church buildings through deed fraud. Whitney Foster, 56, created fraudulent deeds for the churches and used the documents to illegally take over the properties. After the conviction. prosecutors discovered seven additional properties that he may have stolen. The disgraced pastor was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
In a press release, Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot announced the conviction. “[The DA] is satisfied to announce the conviction of Whitney Foster, 56, for Theft of Property valued at $300,000 or
more.” The attorney said, “Stealing real estate is an incredibly serious and damaging crime. It’s worse than the theft of someone’s vehicle or other possessions.”
Creuzot said, “When someone steals property, we must hold them accountable because they are hurting people.” “Whitney Foster, a pastor who led a small congregation without a physical place to gather, was accused of stealing real estate from three churches,” the document explained. “The combined value of the stolen properties exceeds $800,000.”
The document explained how the scam worked, “Foster filed fraudulent deeds, listing a fake leader for the victim churches as the grantors and naming his church in his own name as the grantee. ” The press release also listed the affected churches and how each congregation was taken advantage of.
“The affected churches are First Christian Church of Lancaster and, in Dallas, Canada Drive Christian Church and Church at Nineveh. Two of the three properties are still under the defendant’s or his church’s name, with his congregation actively gathering at one of them,” the document reported. It also explained how “The third property remains embroiled in legal complications caused by Foster’s actions.”
Phillip Clark, the lead prosecutor, said, “Property ownership is a bedrock of our society – it provides security, a home, a place to love and welcome each other. It also represents a very active part of our economy, both in terms of buying, selling, and renting property, as well as property taxes that support everything our government does for the citizens of Dallas County.”
“Deed Fraud cases are not simply disputes; they are lies and fraud – they are theft – and they are deeply damaging. I’m so grateful that the jury saw the truth in this case and held the defendant to account,” the prosecutor added. As the sentence was decided on, “the jury was presented with evidence of seven
additional fraudulent deeds displaying the same characteristics as the three charged deeds.”
The jury was also “informed of Foster’s prior convictions, which include Identity Theft and
Arson.” In an interview, the prosecutor added ” “What he wanted people to think was that because he was a non-profit that he had the ability and right to just move in on another non-profit’s property.” “He was just taking it upon himself to take property from people. He completely upended and disrupted other congregations,” he explained. Despite the overwhelming evidence of his guilt, the pastor has announced he intends to appeal the conviction. As a final warning, the prosecutor added, “If you own a home or a property, pay attention. Take care of it. Monitor if something comes along that is problematic. Act on it.”