I can't make it work out my way, but I know you're in control.'" -Joel Osteen March 11, 2014Īt the time, Crime Stoppers offered a $25,000 reward for information related to the robbery, but the mystery persisted - until last month.Ĭrime Stoppers in Houston, however, told KPRC-2, the first outlet to report the discovery, that the statute of limitations had run out. In spring 2014, Osteen tweeted appearing to reference the crime: "Trust is saying, 'God I'm not going to let this upset me. The church said the funds were fully insured, and officials were working with an insurance company to restore the money. The megachurch's celebrity pastor, Osteen, later announced news of the burglary to his massive congregation that draws tens of thousands of people. A Houston Chronicle report from that time say a church employee was the first to discover the missing money. In March 2014, officials with the Houston Police Department said $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks, as well as written credit card information, was stolen from the church's safe. Burglary and theft officers with the police department documented the undisclosed amount and left the funds with Lakewood Church since it was discovered on the premises, authorities said. "If never had been doing that work behind that toilet, they would have never known that money was there.Neither the church nor authorities said how much money was recovered. "Did they have an accident, you know what I mean? It's like, why did they never go back? If it's that money, why did they never go back?" "Don't you want to know what happened, I mean they stole the money, but they didn't get it out of the wall," a host on KILT-FM pondered.
An official from Lakewood Church would only go as far as to confirm that the money had been found behind the wall.Īs the story continued to unfold on the morning radio, the hosts rhetorically asked whether the hidden money would lead to new answers about what truly happened during the robbery. While it might seem obvious that the envelopes would contain part of or all of the money that was stolen in 2014, HPD has not confirmed that the incidents are related. It is run by pastor Joel Osteen, one of the most visible televangelists in the country who is known for controversially shuttering his church to outsiders in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The saga was made public when the plumber called into a morning radio show Thursday to tell the story. Authorities said the discovery is likely connected to a 2014 robbery reported by the church. The robbery made national headlines, as the megachurch is one of the largest in the United States, with over 50,000 people reportedly attending its weekly services. A plumber discovered envelopes of cash in the walls of Joel Osteens Houston megachurch last month. A mix of monetary items, $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks, were stolen from a safe, as well as secure credit card information from members of the church.Īt the time, Crime Stoppers Houston offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, but the case continues to go unsolved. In 2014, $600,000 was stolen from the Lakewood Church in a brazen heist. Here, the exterior of the Lakewood Church can be seen.
#PLUMBER JOEL OSTEEN CHURCH FULL#
Around 500 envelopes full of cash and checks were found hidden behind a wall in Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, and authorities believe it may be tied to a massive robbery that occurred in 2014.
0 kommentar(er)
