Ladera Ranch’s Church Secretary Gets Five For Dipping into Collections Plate

Posted By CotoBlogzz 06-11-2010

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -  Crystina Renee Bock,  former financial secretary for the Compass Bible Church (CBC) in Aliso Viejo was sentenced today to five years in state prison for stealing over $200,000 from the weekly offerings made by congregants to the church. Bock, 38, Ladera Ranch, pleaded guilty March 16, 2010, to 62 felony counts of grand theft with sentencing enhancement and allegations for aggravated white collar crime exceeding $100,000 and losses over $100,000. In addition to her sentence of five years in state prison, Bock has been ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution. 

Beginning June 1, 2005, Bock worked part-time as CBC's financial secretary and assisted with accounting for offerings and payments made to CBC by congregants. Bock prepared the church's deposits each week, updated the electronic financial records, and sent contribution statements to the congregants documenting their donations for tax purposes. 

Between June 2005 and September 2008, Bock took over 440 congregants' donation checks and deposited them into her personal account. Bock wrote her personal account number on the back of CBC checks before making the deposits and altered the church's financial records to make the contribution statements reflect the congregants' contributions for that year. 

In September 2008, the church's financial supervisors contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Department after learning that a $1,000 donation check had been cashed but was not deposited into the CBC account, as recorded by Bock.

Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.