Bel Air Pastor Faces Embezzlement Charges For Theft From His Church: Official

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A pastor has been charged with stealing $100,000 from a Harford County church where he's been serving for several years.

Pastor Daniel Champ has been charged with theft of over $100,000 and embezzlement from the First Baptist Church. Church officials first picked up on suspicious bank charges and missing money last fall, with activity dating back to January 2019 and continuing until 2024. Investigators said Champ took more than $135,000 for personal use, such as DoorDash, PayPal and sports betting.

"They would talk about holding meetings and not say why, and then all of a sudden the pastor was gone, he was just gone," an anonymous member of First Baptist Church in Bel Air told WJZ. "I was very disappointed that they (the church) didn't come out honestly and tell us what was happening, why they weren't forthcoming and honest. Because money goes to that church, that's the people's money. And why weren't they honest? Why didn't they just tell people?"

WJZ reached out to the church but did not hear back from anyone. The Harford County Sheriff's Office told WJZ that Champ was removed from the church account and has 60 days to move out of the pastoral home located on church property.