Second alleged church embezzler charged

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The second person believed to be involved in embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Grand Rapids church was charged Tuesday morning.

Gerolanita Bailey, 50, was charged with embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000, Grand Rapids District Court records show.
 
Bailey is the former bookkeeper of the Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church.
 
She appeared in court Monday morning and was taken to the Kent County Jail by her attorney for booking. She was released on a personal recognizance bond, meaning she didn't have to put up any money for her release, records show.
 
While conducting a "forensic analysis" of the church's accounts, a firm hired by the church reported that $10,355 was paid directly to Bailey, documents in a civil filing against the church's pastor show.
 
The analysis also noted that six "debit memos (withdrawals) totaling $26,020... were initiated by Ms. Bailey while at a bank branch."

The analyst went on to say that "no matching deposit transaction into a Pilgrim bank account was identified for these transactions."

The church's pastor, Arthur Pearson, was charged earlier this year .  He is slated to go to trial on the allegations next week.

Bailey has a court date for her preliminary exam next Thursday.