A Florida woman entrusted with managing church finances is now facing serious criminal charges after allegedly stealing more than half a million dollars from a Nassau County congregation.
Melissa Ganey English, 44, was arrested by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and charged with grand theft, a first-degree felony, after investigators say she embezzled more than $570,000 from Amelia Baptist Church. English served as the church’s financial secretary for 11 years—a position of trust she now stands accused of exploiting for personal gain.
Authorities say the theft spanned nearly six years, from January 2019 through October 2024. The deception unraveled when two newly appointed members of the church’s financial committee noticed inconsistencies in the books and decided to take a closer look. What they found was shocking: massive discrepancies in account balances and fraudulent spending on a church credit card issued to English.
The Florida woman was immediately terminated, and the church brought in a professional to audit all financial records. The audit revealed that English had used church funds for personal luxuries ranging from online shopping and concert tickets to vacation cruises and even a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon.
According to investigators, English’s theft escalated each year. In 2019, she stole nearly $40,000. In 2020, she nearly doubled that amount, embezzling $90,000. By 2021, that number jumped to over $100,000, and the spree continued through 2024 with similar six-figure losses.
Despite being entrusted with stewardship over the church’s finances—a sacred responsibility—English allegedly chose to live lavishly at the expense of a faith community that believed in her. Her arrest serves as a stark reminder of what can happen when accountability is lost and oversight is lacking, especially within institutions that operate on trust and shared values.
As of now, English faces charges of grand theft for knowingly and unlawfully diverting more than $500,000 in church funds for personal use. If convicted, she could face significant prison time.
In a time when churches already face mounting financial and cultural pressures, the betrayal of trust from within only adds to the burden. Amelia Baptist Church is now working to recover and ensure safeguards are in place to prevent this kind of abuse in the future.
