Pastor Takes Over $1 Million and Gets 3 Year Prison Sentence

by Gary Snyder

The community center was the vision of the Rev. Willard Jones, who at the time was the pastor at Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Jones’ original plan was for an $800,000 recreational center, but over the course of several years he was able to raise $7.2 million for the project, relying heavily on funds from area foundations.


Earlier this month Jones was sentenced to a three-year and one-month prison term for embezzlement and was ordered to repay nearly $1 million that prosecutors say he pillaged from the nonprofit organization he created to build the center.


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