Former Church Employee Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

A former secretary at a south-central Kentucky church has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges.

U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr. said in a statement that 49-year-old Patricia Barlow entered the plea on Monday in Bowling Green. She was accused of embezzling $274,846 from her former employer, Scottsville Baptist Church in Allen County.

The statement said Barlow made multiple wire transfers and used the church's money for personal expenses.

The plea deal calls for Barlow to pay restitution and for federal prosecutors to recommend an imprisonment on the lowest end of sentencing guidelines.

Barlow's sentencing was set for Feb. 22.