Overview
- Paul Mitchell, 60, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to one count of tax evasion via criminal information after serving as lead pastor of a church and president of an affiliated daycare.
- Court filings state that from 2015 to 2022 he used the nonprofits’ credit cards and accounts for personal purchases such as clothing, jewelry, luxury watches, and life insurance premiums, while also writing checks to cover his own credit cards and withdrawing cash.
- Prosecutors say he failed to report the diverted funds as income, causing an estimated tax loss of about $2,906,072 to the IRS and $316,699 to New York State.
- He faces up to five years in prison, restitution, and fines of up to $250,000, with a federal district judge to determine the sentence under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
- IRS Criminal Investigation led the probe, and the case is being prosecuted by the Eastern District of New York with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Public Integrity and Tax Sections, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda Gonzalez and Trial Attorney Catriona M. Coppler.