Ex-Pastor Pleads Guilty to Fraud

Jonesboro, Ark. - A former Jonesboro pastor has pleaded guilty to defrauding an Oklahoma bank and failing to pay payroll taxes.

U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer said Tuesday that 43-year-old Scott Keith Voss faces up to 35 years in prison and will pay $450,000 in restitution to First Bank of Owasso in Oklahoma and nearly $150,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Prosecutors say Voss was pastor of Jonesboro Worship Center when he used the church's facilities without permission as collateral for a loan from the Oklahoma bank -- then used the money for personal use. Thyer said Voss also failed to pay payroll taxes that were withheld from church employees.

Church secretary-treasurer Cliff McQuay told The Jonesboro Sun (http://bit.ly/u86zgq ) that attorneys have told church members not to comment until after Voss is sentenced.

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Information from: The Jonesboro Sun

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