NEW YORK – A prominent Brooklyn pastor has entered a guilty plea in federal court for orchestrating a sophisticated tax evasion operation that diverted church funds for personal enrichment. Paul Mitchell, 60, the Jamaican-born leader of Changing Lives Christian Centre and president of its affiliated daycare, confessed to a single count of tax evasion following a Department of Justice investigation.
The seven-year scheme, spanning from 2015 to 2022, involved systematic misuse of religious organization assets. Court documents reveal Mitchell utilized church credit cards for extravagant personal purchases including high-end jewelry, luxury timepieces, and premium men’s apparel. He additionally transferred substantial cash amounts from institutional accounts to his personal banking services and wrote checks directly from church accounts to settle personal credit card debts and income tax obligations.
According to federal prosecutors, Mitchell deliberately concealed these illicit financial gains from tax authorities, creating a significant tax liability shortfall. His actions resulted in an estimated $2.9 million loss to the Internal Revenue Service and approximately $316,700 in unpaid state taxes to New York.
The pastor, who previously worked in banking for over fourteen years before his religious calling, now faces potential imprisonment of up to five years alongside restitution requirements and fines reaching $250,000. Mitchell’s church biography describes him as “a man of integrity and uprightness” who believes in empowering community members, starkly contrasting with the criminal behavior admitted in court.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Mitchell immigrated to the United States with his family in 1971. His transition from banking to religious leadership in 2003 was characterized by his congregation as seamless. The case highlights serious financial misconduct within religious institutions and underscores increased regulatory scrutiny on nonprofit organizations.