Stewardship Failed: Ex-Priest Pleads Guilty to $10M Fraud at Foster Care Charity

This is a tough story to hear, especially when it involves someone in ministry. Here are the facts as I understand them:

• Robert Nelson Smith, a former Episcopal priest and CEO of Saint Francis Ministries, a large foster care provider, has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud.
• He admitted to orchestrating a scheme that funneled over $10 million in inflated technology invoices from the charity and used charity funds for his personal expenses, like travel, dining, and clothing.
• Smith specifically routed IT work to a business partner’s company, which then allegedly overcharged the charity by nearly $5 million, often by using cheaper overseas vendors and pocketing the difference.

This news is a tough pill to swallow for anyone trying to live out their faith, especially for a small church or family. When a leader, particularly one overseeing a foster care ministry that serves vulnerable children, uses their position to steal millions through tech schemes, it breaks trust. It makes people wonder if their donations and hard-earned money are truly going to help those in need, or if they’re just funding someone’s personal lifestyle. For a small church, which relies heavily on the integrity of its leadership and the generosity of its members, this is a stark reminder of the importance of clear financial accountability. We’re called to be good stewards of God’s resources, and stories like this tarnish the good name of ministry and make it harder for truly honest ministries to do their work.

This story was analyzed for Christ P2P. You can read the original reporting here: https://anglican.ink/2026/02/23/episcopal-priest-former-foster-care-ceo-pleads-guilty-to-federal-wire-fraud-charge/

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