Lawyer Stole $600K From Harlem Church During Land Deal, DA Says

HARLEM, NY — An out-of-state lawyer in facing charges for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for a Harlem church while representing them in a land deal, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced.

John Shasanmi, 39, was indicted Thursday on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument, prosecutors said. The Wilmington, Delaware-based attorney is accused of diverting $600,000 intended for Harlem's Second Providence Baptist Church into his own personal bank accounts, prosecutors said.

The lawyer conducted his scheme while representing the church in a land deal with Azimuth Development, prosecutors said. In November of 2014 the church and Azimuth agreed to a deal in which Azimuth would gain the rights to develop the church's land on West 116th Street between Fifth Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard into a multi-use development with the church owning the first three floors of the new building, prosecutors said.

Azimuth deposited $250,000 into what it believed was Shasanmi's escrow account on Dec. 10, 2014, prosecutors said. The money was to be paid to the Second Providence Baptist Church when the land deal closed. In actuality, the money was sent to a personal account in Shasanmi's name and the money was spent by April 23, 2015, prosecutors said.

Shasanmi again diverted an Azimuth payment — this time $350,000 — to his personal account in April 2017. The money was spent by November, prosecutors said.

When the pastor of Second Providence Baptist Church asked the attorney for a statement from the escrow account, Shasanmi presented a forged document to cover up his theft, prosecutors said. In March of this year, the pastor demanded the lawyer turn over the money and was refused multiple times.

With Shasanmi now facing charges, the church still hasn't received any of the $600,000, prosecutors said.

"This congregation trusted its attorney to protect its interests as it expanded and looked to the future in an increasingly expensive neighborhood," District Cyrus Vance Jr., said in a statement. "Instead, that attorney is charged with pocketing proceeds from the sale of this historic church."

The new development on the Second Providence Baptist Church's land is set to rise 125-feet-tall, according to building plans filed last year. The building will contain residential units, residential amenities and space for a church facility, according to the plans.

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