OMAHA, Neb.—A 48-year-old Omaha man faces three years in federal prison when he’s sentenced in September for his role in scamming a church out of nearly $300,000.
A release from Omaha’s U.S. Attorney’s Office says Mark Mehner pleaded guilty Monday in exchange for a 3-year prison term.
Authorities say Mehner was president of the Zion Lutheran Church congregation in 2004 when he told the church leadership that an anonymous church member wanted to donate $1.2 million to $2 million worth of land. In return, Mehner said, the donor wanted reimbursement for the original cost of the land: $250,000.
The church borrowed money for the deal, about $290,000 with fees and interest.
But there was no donor and no land, and Mehner converted the loan to his personal use.
