The Lead Pastor at Cape Christian Fellowship Church was alerted by the Church Treasurer that the previous pastor, Jeffery William Countryman (W/M, DOB: 04/22/1974, of Palm Harbor, FL) may have stolen money from the Church. Countryman was the lead pastor for the church until December of 2017.

The church bookkeeper found the first issue in February when a large Amazon book order ($2,600) was paid out but the books were never delivered. After contacting Amazon it was determined that the invoice was fraudulent, meaning the order was never actually placed. The bookkeeper dove deeper into Countryman’s expenditures and found numerous altered receipts and invoices. 

Church staff reported the incident to the Cape Coral Police Department in mid-February as soon as it was determined that they may have been a victim of a crime. A financial crimes detective was assigned the case and began the in-depth investigation into the claims.

Over the course of several months, and countless man hours, with subpoena requests and sifting through paperwork, the investigation found that Countryman engaged in a Scheme to defraud the Cape Christian Fellowship Church of over $30,000.

On November 19, 2018, Countryman turned himself in at the Cape Coral Police Department.

He was arrested and processed at the Cape Coral Police Department and later transferred to the Lee County Jail.

ARRESTED: Jeffery William Countryman, W/M, DOB: 04/22/1974, of 2242 2718 Bent Tree Rd, Palm Harbor, FL

CHARGES: Scheme to Defraud at least $20,000 but less than $50,000