Woman running payroll at Catholic church embezzles $451,177 over 6 years, feds say

While working as a payroll administrator for a Catholic church in Oklahoma, a woman embezzled about $451,177 over six years, according to federal authorities.

Now, Darla Bralley, 59, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, records show.

Bralley worked as the payroll administrator for St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Del City from 2012 through early 2020, according to records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. In that role, she had permission to issue checks and complete online bank transactions for authorized expenses, prosecutors said.

But beginning in 2014, she used that authority to pay herself, according to an Oct. 18 news release.

“Mrs. Bralley is a person that as I told the Judge sometimes good people do bad things and this is exactly what I think occurred,” defense attorney Irven R. Box said in a statement to McClatchy News. “She did misuse the trust placed in her by the Catholic Church and took full responsibility for the amount of monies she embezzled. The sentence of 24 months will provide some punishment and deterrence in regard to future crimes that individuals might commit. I believe that the sentence by the Court was fair and just based upon the circumstances surrounding the violations of Federal Law.”

Authorities said Bralley issued nearly 200 unauthorized checks, which were used to “pay for various personal items and services, including personal credit card payments, utilities, and living expenses.”

She also made about 1,070 fraudulent online transfers from about early 2014 until January 2020, authorities said.

Bralley did not include the embezzled money in her total income when filing her 2018 tax return, according to court records.

She pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud and making and filing a false tax return, records show.

In addition to prison time, she’s ordered to pay $544,173.54 in restitution, according to the release. Judge Scott L. Palk said $451,177.54 will go to the church, and $92,996 will be paid to the IRS.

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 19.

Del City is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

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