Northern California church administrator accused of embezzling $360,000 over 5 years

A federal grand jury in Sacramento has charged a former Yuba City church administrator with wire fraud and identity theft in connection with an alleged scheme to embezzle more than $360,000 from the church, U.S. Attorney Phil Talbert announced Wednesday.

Chanell Easton, 36, of Oklahoma City was indicted last Thursday on 22 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in a scheme in which she allegedly used funds from the church for personal expenses including tickets to a country music concert and a vacation trip to Fort Bragg.

The indictment was unsealed Wednesday after her arrest in Oklahoma, Talbert’s office said.

The indictment alleges that between June 2013 and April 2018 Easton embezzeled church funds by using five credit cards she opened with Bank of America, as well as forging signatures of the church treasurer or head volunteer of the food pantry on checks.

The church is identified only as “Church 1” in court documents, but online posts say Easton, who is also known as Chanell Bright and Chanell Cheney, was an administrator at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.

According to the indictment, Easton spent $923.54 for concert tickets and $2,072.20 for a Fort Bragg vacation home rental. She also allegedly used a youth pastor’s credit card to spend $600.07 for an online purchase of a gold ring and necklace, and spent other funds at stores and a hair salon.

She also used church funds for various other expenses, the indictment says.

“For example, over several years Easton used approximately over $14,000 from Church 1 ‘s bank accounts to pay her personal cell phone bills and to buy new cell phones for her and her family,” the indictment says. “Easton caused caused the transfers of these funds from Church 1 accounts at Suncrest Bank and Tri-Counties Bank, including from the account associated with the church’s community food pantry.

“As an additional example, Easton transferred, in total, approximately $2,900 from a Church 1 account at Suncrest Bank to her personal checking account. It was further part of the scheme that Easton obtained and converted money from Church 1 by means of personal and cashier’s checks payable to herself and others.”

Easton is married to former Marysville Police Chief Aaron Easton, who left his job in 2017 after revelations that he was under investigation in the alleged sexual assault of a woman who had been a Yuba College Police Academy cadet.

Chanell Easton could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.