NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A trial date was set on Tuesday for a woman accused of embezzling more than half a million dollars from a Nassau County church.
Melissa Ganey English (formerly known as Melissa Ganey Rhoden), who is charged with grand theft over $100,000 after being accused of embezzling more than $570,000 from Amelia Baptist Church, waived her appearance in court on Tuesday. Her attorney, Nicole Jamison, was there on her behalf.
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During the pretrial hearing, a judge set English’s trial date for April 2026, with jury selection set to begin on April 10.
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. By 2024, she had spent more than $570,000 of the church’s money on personal expenses.
Deputies said she used a church credit card and payroll access to make personal purchases — including Amazon orders, flights, hotel stays and amusement park tickets.
It all came to light when two new financial committee members noticed bank accounts running lower than they should have been. A full review of church records revealed years of unauthorized charges.
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
English was arrested in Baker County in April after deputies highlighted her case in a “Wanted Wednesday” post.
Following the arrest, Amelia Baptist Church pastor Forrest 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.”
English’s next court date was set for Jan. 13, 2026.