Former Upstate church secretary accused of embezzling $445K faces more charges

WARE SHOALS, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A Greenwood County woman accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Ware Shoals church is facing additional charges, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

Officials said 55-year-old Shelly C. Strickland has been charged with seven counts of tax evasion.

Strickland was employed at First Baptist Church Ware Shoals from 2018 to 2024 as the church’s financial secretary, officials said. During that time, she embezzled more than $445,000 from the church and used it for personal use.

Several residents reacted to the scheme and said they were outraged.

“People are crazy!” said Steven Gunnells a Ware Shoals resident.

“I think it’s wrong that they go into the church and they say they represent one thing then they turn around and steal from their own community,” said Daniel Franklin a Ware Shoals resident.

According to the SCDOR, Strickland did not include that money as income on her South Carolina Individual Income Tax returns for those years. As a result, she evaded at least $29,626 in State Income Tax.

The Department of Revenue said Strickland could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a fine of $10,000 for each count.

Strickland is currently being held at the Greenville Detention Center pending a bond hearing, officials said.

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