ST. LOUIS – A northern Missouri pastor has been convicted of 20 charges stemming from a $1.8 million fraud scheme involving pandemic loans, auto loan and personal loans.
On Wednesday, a federal jury found Kenneth C. Sparks III, 56, guilty of 10 counts of money laundering, six counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Evidence and testimony presented during Sparks’ trial revealed that he was initially invited to Faith Walk Ministry in Paris, Missouri, to preach for three days. Instead, he stayed three years, using the church, its employees and parishioners to launch what Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman described to jurors as a “full-time fraud operation.”
Sparks claimed to be a prophet and an apostle of God, whose word could not be questioned.
“Kenneth Sparks impersonated God himself in order to steal millions of dollars in public funds during the worst days of the pandemic,” said Wiseman during closing arguments.
Investigators say Sparks first fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for himself during the COVID-19 pandemic. He then asked parishioners for their personal and bank account information, using that to apply for additional loans.
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Sparks reportedly directed parishioners and church employees to open accounts at a credit union to receive loan funds and had them sign blank checks. He reportedly told them that he would use the information to fix their credit and obtain grants to build a megachurch.
All told, around 40 EIDL and Paycheck Protection Program loans were fraudulently obtained, investigators say.
IRS agents determined around $1.2 million in pandemic loans were illegally obtained in the names of parishioners and church employees, while Sparks used similar methods to obtain around $685,000 in personal and auto loans in his name and the names of others.
Investigators say Sparks wrote $313,000 in checks to himself, obtained $172,000 through cash withdrawals or advances, and spent $168,000 at luxury retailers, $127,000 on real estate and $47,000 on jewelry, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch.
Sparks is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1, 2026.
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