Photo: Getty Images
Former Vernon AME Church pastor Keith Rydell Mayes Sr. pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion after prosecutors said he embezzled more than $504,000 from the historic Tulsa church.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the guilty plea on September 14.
Mayes, 63, became Vernon AME’s senior pastor in October 2021 and oversaw church finances, donations, collections and disbursements.
According to the DOJ, court documents show that Mayes opened a bank account titled “Administrative Expenses” shortly after joining the church.
He was the only authorized signer and used his personal residence as the mailing address.
In one instance, Mayes received $365,000 in stock donations intended for the church through transfers made in 2021 and 2022.
He liquidated the stock, deposited the proceeds into a church account and embezzled most of the money for personal use, prosecutors said.
From at least March 2022 through November 2025, Mayes used more than $504,000 in church funds to support gambling, pay personal expenses and purchase firearms. He also failed to report the money as income, leaving him with more than $205,000 in unpaid federal taxes.
As part of the plea agreement, Mayes will pay $504,313.88 to Vernon AME Church and another $205,765.60 to the IRS. He must also surrender firearms and ammunition prosecutors said were bought with the stolen money.
News On 6 reported that he was released on bond and placed under federal supervision.
Bishop Silvester Scott Beaman told News On 6 that the financial activities “were not authorized by the congregation or the leadership of Vernon A.M.E. Church.”
He said Mayes is no longer pastor and that Vernon has been under new pastoral leadership since May 2026.
Vernon AME is located in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District and has served the community for more than 120 years. The church is the only Black-owned structure from the historic Black Wall Street era that remains standing following the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.