[22 Dec 2024] In July 2024, the Corsicana Police Department initiated an investigation after members of St. John’s Episcopal Church reported suspected financial misappropriation by Father Edward Monk, who has been the priest at St. John’s for 21 years. The parishioners had already reported the matter to the episcopal diocese of Dallas, which prompted an internal diocese investigation and delivery of several years of church bank statements to an accounting firm retained by the diocese.
The Corsicana police contacted the Navarro County District Attorney who promptly requested assistance from the Texas attorney general financial crimes division. The District Attorney has issued subpoenas for financial records on dozens of accounts held by the church and by the Monk family. The Corsicana police and District Attorney have been cooperating with the Episcopal Diocese, which has charged Monk with fraud and mismanagement of church funds. Bank records indicate a pattern of misappropriation of church funds spanning more than a decade.
On Dec. 18, the Navarro County Grand Jury returned indictments for Theft of Greater than $300,000 from a Non-Profit Organization, Fraudulent Use of Identifying Information of an Elderly Person and Credit Card Abuse of an Elderly Person. Monk was arrested at his residence by the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 21 and was released after posting bail.
Corsicana Police Chief Robert Johnson stated that the investigation is ongoing as investigators continue to review thousands of pages of financial records from dozens of accounts spanning more than a decade. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation of the local parishioners and the diocese and the assistance provided by the District Attorney and Attorney General’s Office.
