Woman guilty of church scam

Newport Harbor Lutheran Church’s former bookkeeper was convicted Wednesday of stealing about $320,000 from the church.

Church officials and parishioners said they were relieved that justice had been served, but that they were apprehensive about actually being repaid the money they are owed.

“Parishioners’ reactions were cautiously optimistic. There seemed to be no immediate promise that the money would be returned any time soon,” said Jim Miller, the church’s treasurer who was in the courtroom audience with about 25 other members of the congregation for the pretrial hearing. He said the money was vital to repaying an IRS lien on the church.

Cheryl “Lean” (pronounced Lee-ann) Granger, 45, who used to live in Irvine, pleaded guilty to a felony count of grand theft, seven felony counts of forgery and a sentencing enhancement for property damage more than $150,000, prosecutors said.

Her sentence was six years in state prison, and she was ordered to pay $333,133 in restitution.

Many were expecting the bail to be set and some procedural motions to be heard. They were surprised when Granger pleaded guilty, but a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said the defense indicated that they were going to plead guilty in advance.

Granger worked at the Newport Beach church between Sept. 30, 2002, and Feb. 6, 2006, as an office manager and bookkeeper.

She was accused of forging signatures of church board members on more than 170 checks, prosecutors said.

Granger made the checks payable to herself and to Caspian Scientific, a Nevada-based business she started with her husband, according to prosecutors.

Prosecuting attorney Yvette Patko declined to comment on the ongoing investigation into Granger’s husband, but no charges have been filed against him so far. Newport Beach Sgt. Evan Sailor said prosecutors will likely not charge Richard Granger with a crime.

Granger used the money to pay off credit card debt, prosecutors said.

When discrepancies in the church’s financial accounts were discovered, Granger quit her job and moved to New Hampshire, prosecutors said.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.