Eight people arrested for stealing check donations mailed to churches: MCSO

Eight people have been arrested after authorities say they stole checks mailed by church parishioners and deposited them into their own bank accounts.The Manatee County Sheriffs Office Economic Crimes Unit began a large-scale check fraud investigation in December 2025 after a pastor at Harvest United Methodist Church in Lakewood Ranch reported a significant decrease in mail received by the church.Parishioners had begun questioning whether their monthly tithe checks had arrived. Investigators later discovered the checks had been stolen and deposited into suspects bank accounts.The investigation showed that more than 20 suspects were involved in the fraudulent activity targeting at least 17 churches in Manatee County between September 2025 and May 2026, Sheriffs Office officials said.So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the investigation: Yucmercy Espinosa Obregon, Luis Miguel Sanchez Santos, Lisaida Castro Gonzalez, Ismery Ferrer Alonso, Luis Enrique Valdes Camejo,