Richard Boley, formerly the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, has been charged with the third degree felony of theft from the elderly. Boley turned himself into Ohio authorities on August 24 after stealing nearly $50,000 from the senior citizens in his community.
Reportedly, Boley forced the money from an 87-year-old Barberton resident through intimidation. He met the victim while he served as a temporary pastor at Trinity Baptist. Over the course of the year, the elderly woman ended up giving Boley the money from her life’s savings.
“Honestly, I was disgusted for somebody to put that much trust into somebody and then be taken advantage of. It was shocking,” Sgt. Brian Davis, of the Barberton police department, said.
“He made her feel like she had no other choice,” Davis continued. “He knew what he was doing. He was pretty slick about it.”
Though the reason is unknown, records show that Boley was fired from his position at Trinity Baptist Church. The victim claims that her communication with Boley began when he approached her, saying that he wanted to pray with her and escort her to the store and to doctor visits.
The promises quickly turned into conversations that left the woman fearful and “greatly deceived.” In fact, he recently extracted $26,5000 from the victim in order to purchase a 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. The police have since taken the vehicle into custody.
“He is one of the most evil, conniving men that I have ever seen in my life,” the victim stated.
After coercing the victim into moving to Barberton, away from her family, he also had her change her phone number at least 5 times to cut ties. He also had her declare him as her power-of-attorney.
“He knew a point to touch to just take you right out of this world,” she said, explaining how he would place his hands around her neck in a threatening manner.
“He told her that he was an undertaker and knew how to break necks and even told her that he had a gun,” Sgt. Davis added. “He would tell her, ‘God wants you to do this for me.’”
“I think he needs to pay for what he’s done,” the elderly woman said firmly.
Police are investigating as to whether or not there could be other victims. Boley was taken into custody in August but was able to return to his apartment after posting bail. Courtesy: All Christian News.