Former Missouri Pastor Convicted of All Charges in Pandemic and Loan Fraud Schemes
A federal jury in St. Louis found Kenneth C. Sparks III guilty of all 20 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering, in connection with schemes that prosecutors said defrauded pandemic relief programs and lenders.
3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 26, 2026, 10:14 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Aug 29, 2026, 6:45 p.m. ET
Former Missouri Pastor Convicted of All Charges in Pandemic and Loan Fraud Schemes
A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, convicted Kenneth C. Sparks III, 56, of all 20 counts he faced, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. The charges included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and 10 counts of money laundering, as reported by townhall.com.
Prosecutors said Sparks orchestrated a $1.2 million pandemic loan fraud scheme and a more than $600,000 auto and personal loan fraud scheme, using a church and its members to obtain fraudulent loans. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman told jurors that Sparks, a former visiting pastor at Faith Walk Ministry in Paris, Missouri, exploited parishioners' faith and personal information to apply for fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program loans. Evidence showed Sparks wrote $313,000 in checks to himself and spent funds on luxury items, real estate, and jewelry, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch.
Sparks is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. Ten other defendants have pleaded guilty or accepted responsibility. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Karin Schute.
Aug 26, 2026, 10:14 p.m. ETFirst report
Former Missouri Pastor Convicted of All Charges in Pandemic and Loan Fraud Schemes
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, convicted the former visiting pastor of a Missouri church of all 20 counts he faced related to a $1.2 million pandemic loan fraud scheme and a more than $600,000 auto and personal loan fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Kenneth C. Sparks III, 56, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and 10 counts of money laundering. The trial started Monday and jurors deliberated for about an hour.
Evidence showed Sparks used Faith Walk Ministry in Paris, Missouri, to run a "full-time fraud operation," Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman told jurors. Sparks fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for himself and then used parishioners' personal and bank account information to apply for additional loans, directing them to open accounts and sign blank checks. About 40 fraudulent EIDL and Paycheck Protection Program loans were obtained, totaling $1.2 million, according to IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Aaron Joifrita. Just over $1 million went to Sparks, who wrote $313,000 in checks to himself, obtained $172,000 via cash withdrawals or advances, and spent $168,000 at luxury retailers, $127,000 on real estate and $47,000 on jewelry, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch.
Sparks also directed a scheme that took out $685,000 in personal and auto loans in his name and the names of others. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. Ten other defendants have pleaded guilty or accepted responsibility. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7.
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- Version 229 Aug 2026, 22:51current
Updated to reflect the official record date and source; no substantive changes.
- Version 127 Aug 2026, 02:22
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- Version 127 Aug 2026, 02:14current
First published.
- Version 129 Aug 2026, 22:45current
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