Former Wife of Pastor Charged in Alleged Church Theft and Fraud Case

Nancy Ellen Mitchell Bertine, 74, of Hernando, served at Gulf to Lake Baptist Church in Crystal River, Florida. Reports differ on her role. One describes her as a financial manager at the church and the wife of a pastor, while a later report describes her as a former worship ministry leader and the pastor’s former wife. The church’s leadership is not named in the reports as having made any statement about her.

According to a 2024 report, the alleged misconduct came to light during an annual audit conducted by the church’s finance director, Kelly Hope, and her team. That report alleges that Bertine embezzled more than $182,000 over a four-year period. A 2025 report gives a different account of the timing, stating that a church audit in early 2025 uncovered irregularities that led to an investigation. An annual audit is a regular check of church finances, and it is the process that brought the questions to light, which is a reminder of why honest dealing with church funds matters (Proverbs 11:1).

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office conducted a months-long investigation. Reports give different arrest dates: one states Bertine was arrested on July 23, while two others state the arrest took place on July 24. The earliest report says she was booked on charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud.

Other reports describe how the alleged spending was carried out. According to Citrus County court records cited in one report, Bertine allegedly used a church credit card to make unauthorized Amazon purchases totaling $182,610.16 over four years. The purchases allegedly included women’s clothing, hair products, cosmetics, and pet food. Prosecutors have claimed that church funds were used for personal expenses, including cosmetics and cat food.

The State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit later filed an information against Mitchell. The 2025 report states that the information accuses her of stealing more than $100,000 and engaging in organized fraud, both first-degree felonies. A separate report describes the formal charges as scheme to defraud property valued over $50,000 and grand theft of more than $100,000. These descriptions use different charge language and different dollar figures, and the reports do not resolve the differences.

The reports describe these matters as allegations and charges. None of the reports describes a plea, trial, conviction, settlement, or civil lawsuit in the case.