Ex-Fellowship Church manager stole $1 million, got 10 years, but seeks shock probation
A former employee at Fellowship Church in Grapevine who bilked the church of more than $1 million has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Tarrant County court records.
But 51-year-old Lara Lynn Ford of Fort Worth intends to apply for shock probation, which would suspend her prison sentence for her thefts from one of the biggest churches in Texas, records show.
Ford, who faced a maximum of 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, pleaded guilty on April 16 to a charge of theft of property over $300,000.
Ford had no previous felony convictions, according to court records.
For her to obtain shock probation, a judge would have to grant the request within six months after she was sentenced, which was on April 16 in Fort Worth.
Her application for probation would depend on her behavior and progress report while in prison. If released, she’d have to met the conditions of community supervision.
Ford was in the Tarrant County Jail on Thursday.
“Ms. Ford has, through the testimony of others, demonstrated that she is willing to work hard at changing her life,” said Lex Johnston of Fort Worth, her attorney, in a Thursday email. “The sentence puts the burden on her to prove that the change is real.”
Fellowship Church officials could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Ford began working at Fellowship Church in 2005, and she has been a staff services manager and a business administrator, according to her LinkedIn account.
Ford, who had been stealing from the church since Dec. 22, 2008, was caught by Fellowship CFO Dennis Brewer when he discovered additions to Ford’s monthly housing allowance, according to a search warrant obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this week.
Brewer confronted Ford about the money in April 2019 and she confessed to increasing her housing allowance and taking additional money from the Grapevine church by setting up auto-draft payments to her checking accounts.
An audit was conducted on two of the church’s banking accounts, and at least $1,068,825.23 were transferred to Ford’s three checking accounts.
In 2019, Grapevine police seized her church-issued laptop computer, believing it contained transactions, receipts and other accounts that showed her thefts.
Over half of the money has been repaid by insurance, according to Tarrant County court records.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 2:30 PM.
