Longtime employee pleads to stealing over $500K from Hickory church
A former employee at Highland Baptist Church in Hickory was sentenced to prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty has been following the case since investigators learned the money was missing last spring.
It came to a head this week when Lisa McCool had a written statement apologizing to both the church and her family. Dozens of church members were in the courtroom Monday for a plea hearing, along with the church’s pastor.
We learned that McCool used the money to fund her lavish lifestyle. Now, she has to pay back nearly $400,000, with another $200,000 in restitution to be discussed during a hearing in May.
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Police in Hickory said church members alerted them to suspicious activity last year. Search warrants say McCool transferred large sums of money from the church’s bank accounts to pay off two of her personal bank accounts from 2016 to 2023.
Faherty learned that much of the money donated to the church was from people living on fixed incomes.
McCool worked at the church for 26 years, including serving as the church’s financial secretary for a period of time.
In addition to the restitution, McCool was sentenced to four to six years of prison time.
Highland Baptist Church’s pastor wouldn’t comment on the case.
(WATCH >> Records: Attorney claims Hickory police illegally searched suspect’s home)
