Woman pleads guilty to thefts at churches

By Elise Franco | February 24, 2011 at 12:04a.m.

Linda Messing

YOUNGSTOWN

A Canfield woman could spend up to three years in jail for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from two area churches.

Linda D. Messing, 49, of Russo Drive, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a pair of fourth-degree felony theft charges. Messing admitted to stealing more than $11,000 from St. Michael parish in Canfield and about $15,000 from St. Christine in Youngstown.

She will be sentenced March 31 by Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge James C. Evans. Messing faces up to 18 months in jail on each count.

Canfield Detective Brian McGivern said Messing worked at St. Michael as the facilities coordinator for the Family Life Center from September 2009 to June 2010, when she was fired.

“She was in charge of the events, booking events, things like that,” he said. “The church began to locate some documents and receipts they found very suspicious.”

McGivern said Messing was booking events through several organizations that St. Michael has no affiliation with. He also said on two occasions Messing coordinated parties that the church never received payment for.

The detective said after Messing’s termination, church officials found a envelope in her desk labeled “Cinco de Mayo party” with a dollar amount on it, but no money was inside. The church said it never received payment for that party.

During the investigation, which began in August 2010, McGivern said police found evidence that Messing had been stealing money from St. Christine, her former employer.

“During this investigation, through bank records, we were able to show there was suspicious activity that occurred at her former place of employment as well,” McGivern said.

Youngstown police reports said the theft at St. Christine took place over a 16-month period from June 2007 through October 2008.