Pastor Pleads Guilty, Tax Evasion Scheme Tuesday, Share Facebook — Brooklyn Church Pastor Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Scheme | United States Justice Department.
announcement Brooklyn Church Pastor Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Scheme Tuesday, December 16, 2025 Share Facebook X LinkedIn Email For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Paul Mitchell, the lead pastor of a church and president of a daycare pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with one count of tax evasion.Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. He also wrote checks from the church’s bank accounts to pay his own credit card bills and personal income taxes.As part of the scheme, Mitchell
frequently withdrew large amounts of cash from bank accounts for the church and the daycare and transferred funds from those accounts into his own bank accounts. of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New York announced the guilty plea.According to court filings, Mitchell was the founder of a church and an educational daycare, both located in Brooklyn, where he served as the lead pastor at the church and the president of the daycare. As a result of his conduct, Mitchell caused a tax loss of approximately $2,906,072 to the IRS and approximately $316,699 to
New York State between 2015 and 2022.Mitchell carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison, restitution, and fines of up to $250,000. for the Eastern District of New York and Special Agent in Charge Harry T. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. Chavis Jr. Between 2015 and 2022, Mitchell used the organizations’ credit cards to pay for his personal expenses, including men’s clothing, thousands of dollars in jewelry, luxury watches, and life insurance premiums. He