NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) – A woman is accused of embezzling more than half a million dollars from a church.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office arrested 44-year-old Melissa Ganey English on charges of embezzlement from Amelia Baptist Church.
According to the sheriff’s office, English served as the church’s financial secretary for 11 years and allegedly embezzled more than $570,000 from Amelia Baptist Church between Jan. 2019 and Oct. 2024.
Two new church financial committee members noticed discrepancies after reviewing bank documents and records, finding that funds were lower than they should have been. After reviewing credit card statements from a church credit card issued directly to English, they discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars had been used for her personal expenses.
English was fired, and the church hired a contractor to review all financial transactions from 2019 to 2024. The contractor found numerous discrepancies and fraudulent charges.
According to the sheriff’s office, English embezzled nearly $40,000 from the church in 2019.
In 2020, she embezzled nearly $90,000 through unauthorized charges, personal credit card payments and additional payroll payments to herself.
In 2021, English embezzled more than $100,000, spending funds on Amazon purchases, SeaWorld tickets, Hey Dude Shoes, hotel stays, airlines and a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon.
In 2022, English embezzled nearly $125,000 on purchases including cruise lines, Airbnb rentals, concert tickets, and more.
In 2023, she embezzled just over $123,000 on fraudulent charges at Amazon, hotels, and Walmart.
In 2024, she continued issuing herself additional payroll payments and embezzled more than $90,000, which included spending on cruise lines, baseball tickets, hotels and other personal expenses.
She has been charged with grand theft over $100,000, a first-degree felony, for knowingly and unlawfully using the church’s credit card for personal expenses totaling over $500,000.
Copyright 2025 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.