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Former Vernon African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church senior pastor Keith Rydell Mayes Sr. pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud and tax evasion on September 14, 2026. The U.S. Department of Justice says he embezzled more than $504,000 from the Tulsa church between at least March 2022 and November 2025. Vernon AME’s basement survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre; the church above it was destroyed and rebuilt.
What Mayes admitted and what the DOJ says he did
The Justice Department’s September 14, 2026 announcement says Mayes pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion. Its account of court documents describes the financial conduct underlying the case; the amounts and sequence below reflect that account.
Church accounts and donations
Mayes became Vernon AME’s senior pastor in October 2021 and had responsibilities that included church finances, donations, collections and disbursements. DOJ says he opened a bank account titled “Administrative Expenses,” became its only authorized signer and used his personal residence as the account’s mailing address. Voluntary donations, including money from church members and charitable organizations, were deposited there.
The stock donation
According to DOJ, a donor who was also a financial adviser contacted Mayes about donating stock to the church. Mayes opened a brokerage account in the church’s name to receive it. Court documents, as summarized by DOJ, show $365,000 in stock transfers from that donor during 2021 and 2022. Mayes sold the shares, deposited the proceeds into a church bank account and embezzled most of the proceeds for personal use.
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Use of funds and tax charges
DOJ says Mayes embezzled more than $504,000 from at least March 2022 through at least November 2025, spending the money on gambling, personal expenses and firearms. It says he did not report the income to the IRS and owed more than $205,000 in unpaid taxes. The plea agreement provides for forfeiture of firearms and ammunition purchased with fraudulent funds.
How to read the repayment figures
The DOJ announcement gives two related but distinct figures: $504,313.88 in repayment for embezzlement activities under the plea agreement, including $205,765.60 designated for the IRS. The IRS portion is part of the stated repayment amount, not an additional amount to add to it. The DOJ also separately characterizes the unpaid taxes as more than $205,000.
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What happened to Vernon AME during the Tulsa Race Massacre
Vernon AME was founded in 1905. The National Fund for Sacred Places describes the church basement as part of the original church and a place of refuge during and after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The sanctuary above the basement was destroyed; the congregation rebuilt a Gothic Revival church over the surviving basement, completing it in 1925. Vernon AME’s own history likewise says the superstructure was destroyed while the basement remained and that the present sanctuary was completed in 1925.
That distinction matters: the basement survived, not the whole original church. The National Fund describes the congregation as a continuing community institution and reports preservation work focused on the basement.
What church leadership said
Bishop Silvester Scott Beaman of the AME 12th Episcopal District told The Black Wall Street Times: “The actions described in the federal case were not authorized by the congregation or the leadership of Vernon A.M.E. Church.” The report said the district’s position was that Mayes established and controlled the relevant accounts and financial activity without governing leadership’s knowledge or authorization.
The same report said Mayes had not served as pastor since May, that Vernon AME was operating under new pastoral leadership and that the church had reviewed its financial practices. Those points are the district’s response as reported by the outlet; they are separate from DOJ’s account of the criminal case.
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Case status as of the DOJ announcement
After his court appearance, Mayes was released on bond under supervision by U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services. DOJ said a federal district court judge would schedule sentencing later. The announcement did not report a sentencing date or outcome, and the available account does not establish whether repayment has since been made. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation division investigated the case; Assistant U.S. Attorney David D. Whipple prosecuted it.
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