FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – After a former financial secretary for Amelia Baptist Church was charged with grand theft and accused of embezzling more than $570,000, the church’s pastor called the situation “incredibly hurtful and difficult.”
Melissa Ganey English (formerly known as Melissa Ganey Rhoden) is charged with grand theft over $100,000, which is a first-degree felony.
Investigators said the 44-year-old, who served as the Amelia Baptist Church financial secretary for about 11 years, began pocketing church money in 2019 and by 2024 had spent more than $570,000 of the church’s money on personal expenses.
Amelia Baptist Church pastor Forrest Jones said the church spotted the “financial irregularities” in October 2024, and English was fired after she admitted to “wrongdoing.”
Jones said in a statement that the church’s leadership reported the theft to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and that no evidence has been found that any other members, employees or pastors of the church did anything wrong.
“While the last few months have been incredibly hurtful and difficult, it would be easy to become distracted from our main mission as a church,” Jones said in the statement. “Amelia Baptist Church remains committed to the values that make us a church family.”
He said the church is cooperating with the detectives, who got a warrant for English’s arrest on March 25. She was found and detained in Baker County after a “Wanted Wednesday” post on April 9, 2025.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said that from January 2019 to October 2024, English skimmed more than $570,000 total from the church funds.
Investigators said she got caught when two new church financial committee members noticed discrepancies when they reviewed bank documents and records. They found the church funds were lower than they should have been, investigators said.
Statements from a church credit card issued directly to English showed hundreds of thousands of dollars had been used for her personal expenses, the sheriff’s office said.
“This is a significant breach of trust that has deeply impacted the church community,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “The suspect abused her position of trust for years, using church funds meant for ministry and community service to instead fund her personal lifestyle. Our office is committed to seeking justice for the victims of this extensive financial crime.”
Nassau County deputies said that through unauthorized charges, personal credit card payments, and additional payroll payments to herself, English embezzled:
- Nearly $40,000 in 2019
- Nearly $90,000 in 2020
- More than $100,000 in 2021
- Nearly $125,000 in 2022
- Just over $123,000 in 2023
- More than $90,000 in 2024
According to investigators, the fraudulent expenses included:
- Purchases from Amazon and Walmart
- SeaWorld tickets, concert tickets & baseball tickets
- Hey Dude Shoes
- Hotel stays, flights, cruises & Airbnb rentals
- A helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon
- Other personal expenses
Jones said that despite what happened, the church will “continue to work diligently to proclaim the good news of the Gospel, to see lives transformed by the love of Jesus and care for people.”
Jones said the church can’t comment further on the ongoing legal matters.
