DONKEY: Florida: Eight People Arrested In Church Donation Fraud Scheme

Charlamagne Tha God (0:02)

Some Donkey today just saw themselves. Haven't watched me, Charlamagne, I was ready for this.

Jess Hilarious (0:09)

I never heard of a donkey the other day. What is it?

Charlamagne Tha God (0:11)

Say it again, Charlamagne. Yes, you are a donkey.

Everything that Charlamagne is saying is true. Yeah, it's Donkey Today for Wednesday, November 11th. Veterans Day goes to eight individuals in Manatee County, Florida, Whose names I can't pronounce. Now before, Jess Hilarious say these names, because she's part Mexican. What does your uncle Charlotte always say about the great state of Florida? The craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida, and today is no exception. Who are the eight individuals? Jessica Robin-War.

Jess Hilarious (0:45)

Yuc Masi, Espinosa Obregon, Luis Miguel Sanchez Santos, Lizaida Castro Gonzalez, Ismary Ferrer Alonzo, Luis Enrique Valdes-Camejo, Dianis Leon Hernandez, Duvier Hernandez Canizares, and Isidro Gonzalez Gomez.

Charlamagne Tha God (1:07)

Drop on the clues, Vance, for Jessica Robin-War. See, that's what happens when your in-laws are Mexican. Now the eight individuals who by the sounds of their names will probably all get deported have been arrested in Florida for allegedly being involved in a scheme that stole more than $260,000 in checks, including donations intended for churches.

Not the American fast food chain that specializes in sovereign style fried chicken. I'm talking about the institution. Ty Tribbitt was just here talking about. Okay, a community or assembly of Christian believers. That's who these fools were stealing from. Let's go to WFLA for the report, please.

SPEAKER_3 (1:43)

These six individuals plus two more are accused of swindling at least 17 Manatee County churches, including Harvest United Methodist Church of $72,000. Detective Rachel Fosasika with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office says the suspect's scheme wasn't sophisticated.

Rachel Fosasika (1:59)

The suspects were stealing directly out of the church mailboxes. They would come into Manatee County and hit numerous churches.

SPEAKER_3 (2:08)

Investigators say the fraud kept going from September 2025 to May 2026 because parishioners were unaware the checks weren't making it to the churches. Fosasika says the suspects didn't make it hard to find them.

Rachel Fosasika (2:20)

The checks that I was seeing in these accounts that had been mobile deposited, none of them were altered. You could see on the back of the check, there was like an you know, illegible signature. Some of them actually wrote their names, but they just put them in their account.

SPEAKER_3 (2:31)

It wasn't just Manatee County churches that were affected though. As the Sheriff's Office says, they've identified 268 stolen checks and nearly $194,000 and confirmed losses from churches across the Tampa Bay area.

Charlamagne Tha God (2:45)

Now, now, now, now, now, I know the good book, the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all evil. And apparently these folks heard that and said, well, let's just get straight to the root. Okay. This is despicable. Stealing is already bad enough. Okay. It's number eight of the 10 commandments. Thou shalt not steal. But stealing from churches, stealing money that people voluntarily gave because they believe in something bigger than themselves, because they believe in God? That's a different level of low. I mean, you're doing the cha cha slide in hell with Satan. Okay. How low can you go? When somebody gives money to a church, they're not always given because they have extra money lying around. Okay. These people be on fixed incomes. Sometimes that's somebody working two jobs. Sometimes it's an elderly person who's been given to that same church forever. Okay. They're given because they believe their contribution matters. Ties and offerings. Okay. The practice of giving 10% of your income. Okay. Produce our financial increase back to God Look, I know God don't need no paper. I wish churches didn't say, you know, it's returning what already belongs to God because God don't need none of our material things. I wish churches would just focus on the offering simply because it costs to run a church. Okay. Offerings are, you know, designated for particular causes. Church building, fun, missionary work, disaster relief, stuff like that. So I have no problem with the offering. And I know everybody has their opinions about churches. Some people think pastors making too much money. Some people question where the ties go. Those are conversations worth having, but none of that gives you the right to steal somebody else's donation. Okay. You are not Robin Hood. You don't get to decide, you know, that because you don't respect an institution. The money people give to that church belongs to them. It don't belong to you. Okay. It belongs to them and then belongs to the church. And y'all underestimated how much these people watch their own money. Cause you heard on the news report, the investigation started after a pastor at Harvest United Methodist Church noticed that the church wasn't receiving as much mail as usual. Okay. You think the church not going to notice when the paper getting low? Okay. Church members started asking whether their donations had arrived because I guarantee you wasn't no bake ziti at the Sunday church dinner. All right. Turns out investigators say those checks were being deposited in the other people's accounts.