Manatee County church fraud: 8 arrested in massive theft ring

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. - Deputies arrested eight people after uncovering a widespread mail theft scheme that allegedly stole tithes from at least 17 Manatee County churches, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Manatee church fraud arrests

What we know:

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrested eight people linked to an organized scheme that intercepted checks mailed to local houses of worship. Those facing charges are:

• Yucmercy Espinosa Obregon
• Luis Miguel Sanchez Santos
• Lisaida Castro Gonzalez
• Ismery Ferrer Alonso
• Luis Enrique Valdes Camejo
• Dayanis Leon Hernandez
• Duvier Hernandez Canizarez
• Isidro Gonzalez Gomez

Their charges include organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, uttering a forged instrument and criminal use of personal identification. Detectives said the suspects intercepted envelopes sent by churchgoers and deposited the checks into personal accounts using mobile banking to dodge detection.

Lakewood Ranch mail theft

The backstory:

An investigation was launched in Dec. 2025 after a pastor at Harvest United Methodist Church in Lakewood Ranch reported a sudden decline in incoming mail. MCSO said church members had approached staff to ask whether their regular tithes had arrived.

Congregants assumed their contributions arrived safely, while churches had little reason to suspect regular donations were missing.

Regional church theft losses

By the numbers:

In Manatee County alone, investigators confirmed 66 victims, 107 stolen checks and more than $72,000 in losses. Seven other local victims and seven checks remain unconfirmed, totaling about $1,800 in potential losses.

The operation reached far beyond county borders, uncovering another 268 stolen checks and nearly $194,000 in losses. More than 20 suspects have been tied to the regional network across at least 17 local religious communities.

Outstanding warrants and suspects

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the identities of seven additional suspects who face active arrest warrants. Deputies believe some of those individuals are in the Miami area, while at least one suspect is in Cuba.

Officials have not disclosed the specific names of the 16 other victim churches involved in the case. It also remains unknown whether additional financial institutions or banking accounts were used in the operation.

Protecting mailed church tithes

What you can do:

The sheriff's office urges residents to monitor personal checking accounts closely whenever sending donations or payments by mail. Anyone who suspects they may have lost money to this scheme should call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

The multi-agency effort remains active alongside the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, who detailed the arrests, loss figures and multi-agency investigation in a press release.