United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

FORMER LUBBOCK PASTOR SENTENCED TO NEARLY 20 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

LUBBOCK, Texas — Today, U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas, announced the sentence imposed against James Cornell Clark and five business entities created by him. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings sentenced Clark to 235 months in prison on mail fraud, false statement, possession of documents to defraud the U.S. and money laundering convictions, and 120 months in prison on the importation of an alien for immoral purposes conviction. The sentences are to be served concurrently.

In addition, Clark’s interest in two automobiles and his residence in Lubbock was forfeited to the U.S. The Court also ordered that Clark pay $544,649.42 restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ordered that four of Clark’s business entities make restitution to the USDA in the amount of $116, 420.19, and one in the amount of $13,050.00. Clark was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release, and the business entities were sentenced to five years probation.

In January 2008, a jury in Lubbock convicted former Lubbock pastor, Rev. James Cornell Clark, on 41 counts of a superseding indictment charging him with various offenses related to defrauding the U.S. government of more than a half million dollars. In addition to these fraud-related convictions, at another trial in federal court in Lubbock in December 2007, Rev. Clark was also found guilty of importing an alien for immoral purposes. Clark is the former pastor of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church on Cedar Avenue in Lubbock. He is in federal custody.

Clark was convicted on 23 counts of mail fraud, five counts of making false statements or entries, three counts of possession of false papers to defraud the U.S. and 10 counts of money laundering. The entities that were charged in the superseding indictment, Mt Vernon Faith-In-Action Outreach Project, Mt Vernon United Methodist Community Development, Trinity Christian Outreach Ministries, Mt Vernon United Methodist Church Community Outreach Corporation and Clark Evangelistic Outreach Ministries, Inc., were also all convicted on money laundering charges.

From April 2003 until April 2006, Clark negotiated Summer Food Program contracts and agreements for the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church as being the non-profit corporation entity that was the sponsor of the program. The purpose of the Summer Food Program is to provide nutritious meals to needy children when schools are normally closed and the National School Lunch/School Breakfast Programs are not operational. The program is administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and funded by the USDA. Clark created the five convicted corporate/business entities under his control to receive funds for the Summer Food Program that allowed him to convert federal monies to his own personal use. Clark used these stolen federal monies to purchase his residence, vehicles and rental property; remodel his personal residence, and pay personal tuition.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the USDA- Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the District Attorney’s Office of Hockley County. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dick Baker and Ann C. Roberts of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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