Missouri church employee accused of embezzling over $16K in fraudulent checks

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Wednesday, April 29, 2026

A former employee of a Missouri church has been accused of embezzling thousands of dollars by writing unauthorized checks and has been ordered to appear in court in June.

Jennifer L. Geimer was recently ordered to appear in court to answer to charges that she stole at least $16,000 from Parkton Assembly of God in Barnhart, over the course of a couple of years.

The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Geimer with stealing $750 or more, and she has been issued a criminal summons to appear in court on June 8, according to St. Louis-based Fox 2 News. 

According to authorities, the church reached out to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office last September to report a theft, with a witness claiming that she saw Geimer write and endorse several unauthorized checks for her personal use.

The witness alleged that she found checks written outside normal church payroll procedures, and she gave investigators images of 38 unauthorized checks endorsed by Geimer.

Investigators examined church records and identified 27 unauthorized checks that Geimer wrote and endorsed, which totaled $16,177.91. Additionally, they found 20 more suspected unauthorized checks totaling $10,130.82, but they could not be verified, Fox 2 reports. 

Geimer allegedly told a detective over the phone that she had made bad decisions and was willing to repay the church, but then she later declined to give an official statement after speaking with an attorney.

According to a 2017 study by Lifeway Research, nearly one out of 10 surveyed Protestant pastors said their church had witnessed someone embezzle funds.

Congregations with 250 or more members were slightly more likely to report witnessing embezzlement than smaller churches, according to the Lifeway report.

"Churches run on trust — but they also know people are imperfect and can be tempted," said Lifeway Executive Director Scott McConnell. "That's why safeguarding a church's finances is an important part of ministry."