A church music director in Kansas has been indicted by a federal
grand jury after he allegedly set fire to his Leavenworth church.
According to the Kansas City Star, court records show Carva Lee
White, 45, is facing three counts of mail fraud, two counts of using
arson to commit a federal felony and one count of making a false
statement to a federal investigator.
Authorities say White wanted to collect insurance money from the
fires for inflated repair bills. The insurance company paid out about
$109,000, according to the indictment.
The pastor was not charged in the indictment, and the indictment
did not indicate whether White actually pocketed any money.
The indictment accused White of setting fire to the Sunflower
Missionary Baptist Church on two separate days while he worked as the
church’s music director.
He had planned to persuade the pastor to file an insurance claim,
collect the money, help inflate the repair bill and then embezzle the
money, according to the indictment.
Federal authorities said White lied when he told them that he was
in Fayetteville, Ark., at the time of the arson and told authorities he
couldn’t imagine anyone torching the church.
