Calvary Baptist Yorba Linda Church, Richard Cunningham, Philip Cunningham sentenced
By Clarencia Cynrae on June 15th, 2009Richard Cunningham, 76, and Philip Cunningham, 52, have been sentenced to 2 years each in prison. The Cunningham father and son duo were convicted for stealing $3.1 million from their church in Orange County. Richard Cunningham was charged with theft and fraud. Philip Cunning pleaded guilty to the same charges and he also faced additional charges for forgery.
The Cunningham father and son were pastors who stole money from Calvary Baptist Yorba Linda Church and School. The Cunninghams used the stolen money to purchase time shares in Hawaii and Palm Springs golf club memberships and a Cadillac car.
The Cunninghams were discovered and the men paid back $3.1 M to the Calvary Baptist Yorba Linda Church and School. The criminal charges still stood and the men were sentenced for their crimes.
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October 21st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
My family and I were members of this church during the early 1980’s. I feel bad for every one involved and pray there will be better days ahead for the Cunninghams and the Calvary Baptist congregation.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:40 am
My mother and sister attended this church beginning in the late 1980’s. My wife and I used to talk about how blatantly lavish and materialistic the pastors and his family were. All the while professing to all that their salaries were only $60,000 per year. It was late 2000 that Richard Cunningham, Senior Con Man/Pastor told me that. And funny thing, he tells me this without me asking. Its like he was covering his tracks. He shared his supposed salary with me while giving me a tour of his million dollar home in the hills of Yorba Linda. YOU HAD TO BE BLIND AND OR IN DENIAL to no be able to see that these people were getting money from somewhere. I told my mother that once and she got mad at me. Now they are in prison and my mother’s thousands of dollars donated to the church/con men is gone.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
My mother and sister attended this church beginning in the late 1980’s. My wife and I used to talk about how lavish and materialistic the pastor and his family were, how they had to be stealing somehow. He would tell you that his salary was only 60,000 (2000) without you even asking. He told me this while he was giving me a tour of his multi million dollar home in the hills of Yorba Linda. It was more than apparent that they were getting money from somewhere. I mentioned to my mother that i believed they were stealing from the church in some way and she became very angry. Now the Pastors/con men are finally in prison and my mother and sister’s tithes/donations of thousands upon thousands of dollars to the church/con man operation are gone. So sad. Its as though the people who stayed at the church long term were blind and or refused to believe the obvious. Thank GOD good people finally stepped forward to stop the stealing of millions. Or the pastor Phil would still be pulling up to the church in his Lexus, Cadillac, or Range Rover. Freshly tanned from his \in home\ tanning bed.(Thats right, he had his own tanning bed in his Yorba Linda Country Club home)wearing his gold Rolex watch and beautiful leather jacket telling stories about his daughter attending private university. But hey, how was anyone to know they were stealing……ugh gee….i dunno no. The Cunninghams were and are thieving scumbags and it is good they have finally been stopped and put into prison for their malicious and continuous defrauding of their church members and attendees.