The Rev. Canon Edward R. Monk was charged in December 2024 with six counts of fraud in Corsicana, Texas. The trial is set to begin this month and concerns the financial accounts of St. Johns Episcopal Church, where Monk served for the past two decades. While he denies the allegations, he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the trial.
In addition to state charges, the Diocese of Dallas has said he violated several church laws. They say he is guilty of “failing to safeguard the property and funds of the Church and Community,” which is “any criminal act that reflects adversely on the Member of the Clergy’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a minister of the church” and “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.” The charges were made in a Google Drive featuring partially redacted emails between the affected parties.
Shellie O’Neal, Senior Warden of St. John’s, released an email addressing the scandal. “We regret to inform you that Ed Monk was indicted yesterday by the Navarro County grand jury on charges of theft involving church funds,” she stated. O’Neal added that the church was “fully cooperating with authorities and has taken steps to review and strengthen our financial processes.”
According to Corsicana Police Chief Robert Johnson, “This investigation has been extensive, and although the suspect has been indicted, we are still in the process of gathering additional evidence through a joint effort led by the Corsicana Police Department, the Navarro County District Attorney’s office, and the Texas Office of the Attorney General.”
The Police Chief explained how the investigation was started. “In July 2024, the Corsicana Police Department initiated an investigation after members of St. John’s Episcopal Church reported suspected financial misappropriation by Father Edward Monk.” He added, “The investigation is ongoing as investigators continue to review thousands of pages of financial records from dozens of accounts spanning more than a decade.”
Diocesan investigator Rev. Tim Cherry spoke to Monk and realized the scale of the fraud. He says that that monk “took advantage of an elderly volunteer church treasurer to gain a credit card under the man’s SSN and the parish name.” The money was used for a “multi-year spending spree” on luxurious vacations and other items. He also found that the disgraced priest opened “unauthorized or fraudulent bank accounts and routed money to other unknown bank accounts.”
Cherry says this fraud caused “extreme harm to the treasurer’s personal credit record, resulting in debt collection.” The investigator found that Monk attempted “a five-figure gift from a parishioner to ‘fix’ the problem” and then “limited the function of the treasurer and stopped providing financial information to the treasurer.” Despite the overwhelming evidence, the priest maintains his innocence.
Watch the Embattled Priest Preach at the Texas State House:
“With respect to the Hearing Panel Notice dated October 3, 2024, I deny all allegations brought against me in these proceedings,” Monk said. “The repeated denial of my access to information…and the decision of the Reference Panel to proceed even though my counsel could not attend… continues to now prevent me from …defending myself.”
Featured Image from Embedded Video