John A. Miller, the former executive director and treasurer of the Philadelphia-based Clergy Assurance Fund, has plead guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering stemming from the misappropriation of over $1.6 million intended for widows and orphans of deceased Episcopal clergy.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced the plea on March 3, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Kelly B. Hodge. Miller, 76, admitted to diverting funds from 2015 to 2022 by issuing personal checks disguised as beneficiary wires and falsifying the nonprofit’s accounting records. He faces up to 30 years in prison, with sentencing set for June 22, 2026; under the plea deal, he will pay $1,626,556 in restitution and forfeit $281,109 from the sale of a luxury Philadelphia condominium purchased with stolen proceeds.
Suspicion arose in March 2022 over improper credit card charges, prompting Miller’s removal. A forensic audit revealed at least $1.4 million stolen; federal charges followed in late 2023. Miller exploited his dual roles at the fund to siphon money into personal accounts, funding luxury travel and real estate. Federal investigators seized fraud proceeds during the condominium sale after Miller learned of the probe. The FBI led the investigation, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alisa Shver and Alexander Bowerman.
Founded in 1769 as The Widows Corporation—chartered by Pennsylvania Governor John Penn—the organization initially supported Anglican clergy families across Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey amid colonial missions. It split in 1806, with Pennsylvania’s branch evolving into a life insurance model by the 1830s under Horace Binney’s influence, renamed Clergy Assurance Fund in 2019. Today, it serves Episcopal dioceses including Pennsylvania, Bethlehem, Central Pennsylvania, Northwestern Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh, governed by the five bishops and 35 volunteers, with assets exceeding $80 million as of 2021.
N.b. The author of this post is a client of the Fund