A Jamaican-born pastor who leads a church in Brooklyn, New York, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a tax evasion scheme involving millions of dollars.
The United States Department of Justice said Paul Mitchell, 60, the senior pastor of Changing Lives Christian Centre in East New York and president of the church’s affiliated educational daycare, admitted guilt to one count of tax evasion.
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Court records show that Mitchell, who lives in West Hempstead on Long Island, founded both the church and the daycare center. Federal prosecutors said that between 2015 and 2022, he used credit cards belonging to the organizations to cover personal expenses, including designer clothing, thousands of dollars in jewelry, luxury watches, and life insurance premiums.
Investigators also found that Mitchell wrote checks from church bank accounts to pay his personal credit card balances and income tax obligations. In addition, he frequently withdrew large sums of cash from the church and daycare accounts and transferred those funds into his personal bank accounts.
According to the Justice Department, Mitchell failed to report the misappropriated funds as income on his personal tax returns. This omission significantly reduced his tax liability and allowed him to evade payment of personal income taxes over several years.
As a result of his actions, federal authorities said Mitchell caused an estimated tax loss of approximately US$2.9 million to the Internal Revenue Service and about US$316,699 to New York State.
Mitchell now faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, along with restitution and fines of up to US$250,000.
Despite the criminal case, Changing Lives Christian Centre continues to describe Mitchell on its website as its senior pastor and visionary leader. The church states that he believes in empowering others and nurturing the human spirit both naturally and spiritually. It also describes him as someone who encourages individuals to discover and use their gifts to fulfill their purpose.
According to the church’s biography, Mitchell was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the sixth of seven sons to Alfred and Myrtle Mitchell. His family migrated to the United States in 1971. Before entering the ministry, Mitchell worked as a banker for more than 14 years with institutions including Chase, First Card, and EAB.
The church says Mitchell transitioned from banking to pastoral leadership in 2003, portraying the move as a calling to ministry. It further describes him as a man of integrity who seeks to honor God in all aspects of his life.
Federal sentencing in the case has not yet been announced.
