Ex-minister accused of stealing $800K from Houston's First Baptist Church

Jerrell G. Altic is accused of taking more than $800,000 from Houston's First Baptist Church. Jerrell G. Altic is accused of taking more than $800,000 from Houston's First Baptist Church. Photo: Samantha Ketterer Photo: Samantha Ketterer Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Ex-minister accused of stealing $800K from Houston's First Baptist Church 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A former minister at Houston's First Baptist Church took more than $800,000 over a six-year period from the megachurch's coffers, spending money on overseas trips for his family, for groceries and to pay for a doctorate degree in divinity from a Pennsylvania bible college, authorities said.

Jerrell G. Altic, 40, a one-time missions pastor accused of aggregate theft, surrendered Tuesday morning, one day after a Harris County grand jury indicted him on the felony charge more than a year after church officials noticed questionable financial activity.

Altic, who is also a licensed real estate agent, did not respond to requests for comment as he quickly walked in and out of court in handcuffs, escorted by police.

His attorney, James Alston, said he admitted to the crime and is working to "make amends" with the church.

"He feels horrible for what has happened and the pain that it's caused everyone at the church, and his family members and friends," Alston said. "He would want me to tell everyone that he's sorry."

Altic engaged in multiple "deceptive and difficult-to-detect techniques to carry out his theft," sparking a third-party investigation run by independent accountants, Senior Pastor Gregg Matte and Deacon Chairman Craig Bloodworth said in a statement.

The accusations of forged payment authorizations are consistent with the consultants' findings, church communications director Steven W. Murray said. Some of the money was used to pay for a doctorate in divinity at Lancaster Bible College.

Altic resigned from the church immediately after officials approached him about about a "limited set" of suspicious financial activity they found in November 2017.

Theft of mission funds

Harris County Assistant District Attorney Lester Blizzard said Tuesday that Altic obtained at least $823,937 through schemes that included forgery, false representations, false approvals for payment, and false receipts and invoices.

"It gives me no pleasure to report that a former minister is accused of such a crime," Blizzard said. "We look forward to presenting our case in court and working through the problems."

The theft involved mission funds, church leaders said, but the church was still able to provide designated money and resources to all of its ministry partners. The church's insurance coverage paid $500,000 to reimburse some of the lost monies, and the church leadership also approved the use of unallocated contingency funds, according to the statement.

Matte and Bloodworth said the indictment marks the first time the church has publicly addressed the allegations, although it kept related church committees and key staff informed.

"These past months have been challenging and painful for us as the extent of Jerrell's actions came to light and as we wrestled with the tension of wanting to inform the congregation, while also carefully following law enforcement's lead in the investigation, balancing legal constraints with church procedures," the statement reads.

Alston said his client is expected to make bond, which is set at $50,000.

Missions minister

The allegations span six years, starting June 2011 and ending November 2017, authorities said. If convicted, the first-degree felony offense of aggregate theft carries a minimum five to 99-year or life sentence, Blizzard said.

Public employment records listed Altic as a former minister of mobilization, missions pastor and minister of connection and community at Houston's First Baptist Church.

Altic was also licensed as a real estate agent in October 2017, according to the Texas Real Estate Commission. He has a degree from the Wheaton College Graduate School in Illinois, college officials confirmed.

Altic was part of the church when it celebrated its 175th anniversary two years ago. At the time, the church had an annual operating budget of more than $31 million and claimed a membership of more than 28,000 parishioners, preaching Sunday sermons in four locations in the Houston area. The largest campus is at the southwest corner of the the Katy Freeway and the Loop 610 West.