COVINGTON COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) - A pastor and a church deacon in Mississippi have been charged with embezzling church funds.
Stricjavvar Strickland, the pastor of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Mt. Olive, and Deacon Armond Barnes were both charged with one count of embezzlement of more than $500.
According to the Covington County Sheriff's Office, Strickland and Barnes stole nearly $90,000 in church funds. Authorities said the investigation began in October 2024 after they were notified by the finance committee from the church about discrepancies in the books and bank account.
The man turned themselves in to authorities on Tuesday, March 4. Strickland's bond was set at $150,000. Barnes received a $75,000 bond.
This is not Strickland's first run-in with law enforcement. According to WJTV 12 News' sister station, WOODTV, Strickland was sentenced to one year in Kalamazoo County Jail in 2023 for one count of knowingly offering to sell transportation services for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
In 2020, Strickland was charged with 11 felony counts after a Michigan State Police investigation alleged he and his wife used their positions within their church and Kalamazoo Public Schools to coerce four teen boys into sex between 2015 and 2018.
In August 2022, Strickland entered into a plea deal, pleading guilty to a count of knowingly offering to sell transportation services for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
Strickland’s wife was also charged in connection to the allegations, but the case against her was later dismissed.