The federal courthouse in Topeka, Kansas. Photo: Melodie Woerman/ENS
[Episcopal News Service – Topeka, Kansas] The Episcopal priest who served as chief executive officer of a Kansas nonprofit that provides foster care services to much of the state pleaded guilty Feb. 19 in a U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The Rev. Robert N. Smith, who led the Salina, Kansas-based Saint Francis Ministries from 2014 to 2020, was charged on Nov. 9, 2022, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
After Smith made his plea, Judge Toby Crouse ruled that he was guilty and set July 15 as the date for his sentencing.
The case against Smith stemmed from his association with William Whymark, whom he hired to oversee information technology services at…
Cyber fraud uses technology as the primary weapon. It is highly scalable and can be conducted from anywhere in the world.
- Phishing/Smishing/Vishing: Using deceptive emails (phishing), text messages (smishing), or phone calls (vishing) to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive data.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): A high-value scam where a criminal impersonates a CEO or high-level executive via a “spoofed” email address to trick a staff member into making an urgent, unauthorized wire transfer.