Barry Herr, the Lutheran synod's former treasurer, is scheduled to be sentenced at 11 a.m. Nov. 21 in Harrisburg.
In July, Herr of Lancaster pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud, and the federal prosecutor told the judge he would recommend a sentence of 41 to 51 months. Herr was accused of embezzling $1.1 million in funds from the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America between 1985 and 2007.
The synod reported the sentencing update today in its online newsletter, which also noted the synod recently received a $40,000 restitution check -- apparently from the sale of Herr's Jaguar. Bishop Penrose Hoover will be at the sentencing to speak on behalf of the synod.
As of July, attorneys reported that Herr had repaid $250,000 to $260,000 to the synod, which includes York and Adams counties.
Background: Herr managed the financial accounts for the nine-county synod for 28 years until he was fired in July 2007.
When they arrested him, police said Herr had set up a bogus checking account to write checks for his own purposes, largely to buy and restore foreign-made classic cars.
The federal charges specify Herr set up a fraudulent post office box in Lancaster to conceal the bank statements reflecting the embezzled funds, which came largely from estates that church members willed to the synod.
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