CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The senior pastor of Gulf to Lake Church revealed that his former wife was arrested last week for allegedly misappropriating church funds over a span of more than seven to eight years.
As per the records from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, 74-year-old Nancy Bertine was apprehended on July 24 under a warrant for orchestrating a plan to defraud $50,000 or more, alongside grand theft of $100,000 or more, or the deployment of a semitrailer by a law enforcement officer.
“She had inappropriately used a church credit card for a significant amount, which had been under investigation,” stated Lloyd Bertine, the senior lead pastor of Gulf to Lake Church.
Bertine spoke with News Channel 8 over the phone Sunday and said he’d been married to Nancy until they divorced in January. He added that he did not know she had been misusing funds for nearly a decade.
“What happened was falsifying the records of what was being purchased and that’s why we never knew,” Bertine said.
Bertine said congregation leaders found out about what had occurred around Feb. 1, which launched an investigation from local law enforcement and the subpoenaing of records from Amazon.
The church hosts two services each Sunday, at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and offers livestreams as well.
Bertine told News Channel 8 a trustee of the church told the congregation the news on Sunday. However, only those who attended the service in person received the details, as those controlling the livestream were told to turn off the stream for the announcement.
“It was just to inform the congregation of what we found that Nancy had done, what we had done about it, and contacting law enforcement,” Bertine explained. “We all have agreed to pray for her and pray that something will be learned.”
Bertine said Nancy has given written notice that she will repay the funds and has money in her account to do so.
“She has the money from selling our house that she can use to repay everything.”
News Channel 8 did ask follow-up questions for Bertine and congregation leaders, such as how exactly they found out about Nancy’s alleged misuse and how much money in total was spent, and is awaiting a response.
News Channel 8 also reached out to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office for additional information and is also waiting for a response from them.
