A True Crime Story: How New Prospect Got Robbed. Twice.

The only way change happens

You, the church, are the only ones who can make this change.

No pastor, board or committee can do this for you. Under our 1930 charter and Ohio law, the members decide. It takes one member to stand up and say:

THE MOTION“I move that New Prospect Baptist Church adopt the Stewardship Council as outlined, and that Torrance Jones be the Chairperson of the Trustee Board.”

1 · MoveA member stands and reads the motion.

2 · SecondAnother member says, “I second the motion.”

3 · DiscussMembers ask questions and speak for or against.

4 · VoteThe church votes. The members decide.

Print the motion Read what it means first

What the court record says

$702,968.80Taken from three church accounts, 2017 to 2023

$300 a dayEvery day for six and a half years

Guilty pleaState of Ohio v. Carolyn Brown, Case No. B2502384

Nov. 20, 2026Sentencing, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas

Church bank account	Amount taken	How
Center Bank	$427,963.87	Cash, ATMs, debit card, online shopping
JP Morgan Chase	$215,512.45	Cash and ATM withdrawals
US Bank	$59,492.48	Cash, ATMs, debit card
Total	$702,968.80	January 2017 to June 2023

Source: Hamilton County Prosecutor's Bill of Particulars and summary spreadsheets, filed January 20, 2026, case B2502384.

The case

Case	State of Ohio v. Carolyn Brown, a.k.a. Carolyn Smith
Case number	B2502384 · Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, Criminal Division · Judge McDowell
Charges	Telecommunications fraud · Theft without consent · Theft beyond the scope of consent · Theft by deception · Unauthorized use of property
Plea	Guilty
Sentencing	November 20, 2026

Download the Bill of Particulars (PDF)

The prosecutor's 4-page filing. The 33 pages of bank spreadsheets behind it list account numbers and people who were not charged, so they are available to members on request with that private information blacked out.

How it was hidden

“…by providing false and misleading representations to the board of trustees and the pastors, and by submitting fraudulent balance sheets and spending information to the board of trustees and the pastors.”Bill of Particulars, Count 4: Theft by Deception

The reports looked fine, so nobody asked questions. Nobody independent was assigned to compare the reports with the real bank statements. That one missing step let it go on for six and a half years.

Why it happened

An executive pastor position was created and filled, and its pay set, without a church vote.
Control of the church's money was given to one person, with no church vote and no minutes.
The Trustee Board, which Ohio law makes responsible for church property and money, was placed under staff.
Our 1930 charter says trustees serve until “a meeting called to elect trustees.” The members are meant to choose. When did you last vote for a trustee?

We have been here before: 1951

In 1951, a minister was placed over the church's money without the church's approval, and $6,000 was stolen. New Prospect learned then: never let one person control the money. We must learn it again.

Crime board: the theft of $702,968.80 from New Prospect, the missing safeguards, and the Stewardship Council fix

The crime board. Tap to open the printable PDF.

The fix: The Stewardship Council

A council elected by the members that meets every month and never handles money. It brings trustees, finance officers, deacons and members to one table, so no one person ever controls the church's money again.

Diagram of how the Stewardship Council works: the congregation elects the council, which oversees the Trustee Board, Finance Committee and Deacon Board, with an independent Audit Committee

How the Stewardship Council works. Tap to open the printable PDF.

Who sits on it

A chair elected by the whole church
Trustee Board Chair, Financial Secretary, Treasurer
Three deacons
Two members at large and a ministry leader
The Pastor attends without a vote; the Clerk keeps minutes

How every dollar moves

Count: two unrelated trustees
Approve: Financial Secretary, in writing
Pay: Treasurer, only what was approved
Check: someone independent, every month
Report: to every member, every quarter

How the council would have stopped this

How the money was taken	The safeguard that catches it
$525,466.92 in cash withdrawn at the bank counter	Two authorized signers on every account; no one person can withdraw church cash alone
$91,210.00 in ATM withdrawals, even in Georgia	No church ATM cards; any card has a low limit and is reviewed line by line every month
$86,291.88 on debit cards and online shopping	Purchases paid only after the Financial Secretary approves the bill in writing
Fake balance sheets shown to trustees and pastors	Bank statements go straight to someone independent, who matches them against the books every month
Six and a half years without anyone noticing	Quarterly report to every member and a yearly outside audit hired by the Audit Committee
Positions and control of money given out with no church vote	Every seat, every paid position and every signer approved by the members

The monthly bank check alone would have caught the fake balance sheets in the first month.

It is biblical

“Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.”Acts 6:3

“Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”2 Corinthians 8:21

“The king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money.”2 Kings 12:10

It is the law

Ohio requires a church corporation to have at least three trustees (ORC 1702.27), gives members the right to inspect the books and minutes (ORC 1702.15), and, unless the bylaws say otherwise, has the members elect the trustees (ORC 1702.26).

It works at respected churches

Alfred Street Baptist Church (Virginia), Brentwood Baptist Church (Tennessee), Eagle Brook Church (Minnesota), Church of the Highlands (Alabama), Crossroads Church (Cincinnati) and Redeemer Presbyterian (New York) all use member-elected oversight, independent checks, or yearly outside audits.

About Torrance Jones

Robert Torrance Jones · Recommended for Trustee Board Chair · Trustee, elected by the church and received with the right hand of fellowship

$0Lost from church funds during my years as Financial Secretary

$277MBudget under my control as a senior financial analyst at NCR

218Votes I certified as trustee secretary when this church called Pastor Lynch

A lifetime at New Prospect

Son of Deacon Robert Earl Jones, longtime chairman of the Deacon Board and the Sunday school
Baptized at 14; elected trustee at 17, one of the youngest in New Prospect's history
Awarded New Prospect's college scholarship to the University of Cincinnati
Financial Secretary for many years: offerings counted, recorded and reported, and not one dollar lost
Stepped down on principle when financial oversight was changed without the members' approval
2026: wrote the New Prospect Restoration Plan

Education and career

BSEE, University of Cincinnati · MBA, Marketing, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland · Project management, The George Washington University
Senior financial analyst at NCR Corporation, $277 million under budget control; later Director of Services Marketing
PMP, Project Management Institute · Member, British Mensa
CEO, DelMar Corporation; building three artificial intelligence systems businesses and managing multiple real estate projects
Owner-builder of homes across the Cincinnati region
Author

View my full resume Download resume (PDF)

My commitment

Every seat elected by the members. Every report to every member. Any member's written question about church money answered within 30 days. Choosing trustees, and who leads them, belongs to you.

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“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”Galatians 6:10

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A True Crime Story