Ex-Rochester man, pastor gets 18 months for stealing $130G from his church

Gregory Neal, 45, Rochester, pleaded guilty to the charge on April 12 (Courtesy photo)

BARRINGTON - A former Rochester man was sentenced in federal court for defrauding the church where he worked, Journey Baptist Church in Barrington, out of approximately $130,000, New Hampshire's U.S. Attorneys Office announced on Wednesday.

Gregory Neal, 45, now of Barrington, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott to 18 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release. Neal was also ordered to pay $129,960.13 in restitution to the victims of the fraud, including the church and the insurance company that covered a portion of the losses incurred by the fraudulent activity. Neal pleaded guilty on April 12 to a one-count information charging him with wire fraud.

"Today, a man who abused his position of trust- as a leader of his church- and stole from his congregation to support his gambling habit has been brought to justice," U.S. Attorney Jane Young stated. "Criminals like the defendant who defraud organizations and public institutions in our community will be prosecuted by this office to the full extent of the law."

Between January 2017 to March 2020, as the executive pastor of the Journey Baptist Church, Neal made unauthorized withdrawals of the church's funds to pay off his gambling debts. He also made unauthorized purchases with the church's credit cards for his own benefit, including items from various vendors and retail stores. These unauthorized transactions amounted to $129,960.13.

The United States Secret Service led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande prosecuted the case.