• Adrian Davis admitted to wire fraud and filing a false tax return after spending church money on luxury vehicles and shopping sprees
• The former All Nations Worship Assembly pastor agreed to pay nearly $550,000 in restitution to the church and IRS
• Davis faces up to 23 years in prison, though prosecutors recommended a reduced sentence for accepting responsibility

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TDR) — Adrian Davis, the former lead pastor of All Nations Worship Assembly in Huntsville, pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return after allegedly misusing more than $400,000 in church funds for personal luxuries between 2018 and 2020.

Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama reveal that Davis, who served as both lead pastor and marketing consultant for the now-defunct church, systematically diverted money intended for ministry into his own pockets. While the church authorized Davis to receive a salary and parsonage, investigators say he far exceeded those limits by using church accounts to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle.

Luxury Cars and Designer Shopping Sprees

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

According to federal charging documents, Davis treated himself to a $30,920 Audi A7 in 2018 and a $45,982 GMC Yukon in 2019, both purchased with All Nations Worship Assembly funds. He also spent more than $31,000 on entertainment and retail purchases from high-end stores.

The pastor’s shopping habits proved particularly expensive for the church. Court records show Davis made 44 payments to American Express totaling more than $151,000 to pay off his personal credit card. His credit card statements revealed purchases from luxury retailers including Louis Vuitton and Flight Club, an upscale New York shoe store.

In 2020 alone, Davis used church funds to pay off an $18,530 Synchrony Bank credit card that he had used to buy jewelry and spent $7,000 on additional entertainment and retail items. The wire fraud charge specifically relates to an October 2020 transaction in which Davis wired $13,663 across state lines from the church’s account at Redstone Federal Credit Union to American Express.

Mother’s Mortgage Paid With Church Money

Adding to the list of unauthorized expenses, investigators discovered Davis used more than $14,000 in church funds to pay the mortgage on his mother’s home, which had no connection to church operations or ministry activities.

False Tax Returns

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

In March 2021, Davis filed a tax return falsely claiming he received $138,621 in income when he actually earned considerably more. The false filing allowed him to avoid paying taxes on the unauthorized church funds he had pocketed.

Plea Deal and Potential Sentencing

As part of his plea agreement, Davis agreed to pay restitution of $434,340.41 to All Nations Worship Assembly and $114,859 to the IRS, totaling nearly $550,000. He also waived certain rights to appeal and must forfeit any property derived from the stolen funds.

Davis faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud and three years for filing a false tax return. However, prosecutors recommended a reduced sentence at the low end of sentencing guidelines due to his “prompt recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility” for his crimes.

Davis is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. in Huntsville. The court will determine his final sentence at a later date.

Should religious leaders who abuse their positions of trust face harsher penalties than other white-collar criminals?

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10