Monday, 14 November 2022, The Federal grand jury in Topeka, Kansas, charged a Priest, Robert Nelson Smith, 50, of Salina, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering followed by William Byrd Whymark, 50, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, ten counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, according to all court documents.
Robert Nelson Smith, an ordained Episcopal priest, is believed to have taken his fraudulent actions when SFM (Saint
Francis Ministries), a faith-based organisation in Salina, Kansas, that provides foster care and social services decided to upgrade its IT systems, hardware, and software programs. Smith is accused of approving and authorising payments of fraudulent, overinflated invoices and entering SFM to agreements with a company owned by William Whymark. He uses SFM credit cards for his agendas and outside the Ministry’s expenditures. Smith is scheduled for an initial court appearance at 1:30 p.m. on Monday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The FBI is investigating the case as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Kenney and Skipper Jacobs prosecute it.
SOURCE: DOJ | NOVEMBER 15 2022
