Former Missouri Pastor Convicted of 10 Money Laundering Counts in $1.8 Million Fraud Schemes
A federal jury in St. Louis has convicted former visiting pastor Kenneth C. Sparks III on all 20 counts he faced in connection with pandemic-loan, auto-loan and personal-loan fraud schemes that together involved more than $1.8 million.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said on August 26, 2026 that Sparks, 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. Jurors reached their verdict after about an hour of deliberations following a trial that began earlier that week.
Pandemic-loan scheme used parishioners’ identities and accounts
Prosecutors said Sparks initially obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for himself, then used personal and bank-account information from church parishioners and employees to apply for additional Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program funds. About 40 fraudulent pandemic-relief loans were ultimately obtained.
According to trial evidence cited by the Justice Department, approximately $1.2 million in pandemic loans were obtained in the names of parishioners and church employees. Just over $1 million flowed to Sparks. Prosecutors said he wrote about $313,000 in checks to himself, obtained another $172,000 through cash withdrawals or advances, spent roughly $168,000 at luxury retailers, $127,000 on real estate and $47,000 on jewellery, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch.
Sparks was also convicted over a separate scheme involving approximately $685,000 in personal and vehicle loans obtained in his own name and in the names of others.
The Justice Department did not separately identify each transaction underlying the 10 money laundering convictions in its public release, so the specific laundering transactions should not be inferred beyond the financial flows established at trial.
Sparks is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, 2026. Ten other defendants in the broader case have either pleaded guilty or otherwise accepted responsibility.
