A prominent Tennessee pastor whose singing has been featured on national television is facing criminal charges after allegedly opening a credit card under someone else’s name without their permission, WREG-TV reports.
On Thursday, Steven Flockhart was charged with identity theft and theft of merchandise between $2,500 and $10,000 in connection with the allegations.
Flockhart is pastor of 901 Church in the Memphis area. In 2012, he appeared on “American Idol” and NBC’s “The Voice.”
Court records obtained by the television station allege that in 2019, a member of the church agreed to open a joint credit card with Flockhart for the church. Flockhart obtained this member’s personal information for that card.
But in September 2023, that church member’s credit score declined significantly and he discovered that a credit card had been opened through PayPal under his name. The PayPal card had an unpaid balance of $6,410.
The victim inquired with Flockhart about the PayPal card, and Flockhart allegedly admitted to opening the credit card account under the man’s name without permission.
This is not the first time Flockhart has been accused of financial wrongdoing. He was sued in 2020 in Georgia for allegedly forging documents and impersonating a credit card holder who belonged to a different church, according to court records obtained by the television station.
901 Church issued a statement following Flockhart’s arrest that read, in part: “While we do not find the allegations factual, we believe that vindication is from God and firm in His sovereignty and truth.”
It was not clear who authored the church’s statement, which continued: “We exist so that people would be reached and lives would be changed. Please pray for our pastor and his family, for the hearts of those who seek to attack him and the church, and our community.”
Flockhart remains in custody and has a court appearance scheduled for Monday, according to WMC-TV.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature Photo: Steven Flockhart/Shelby County Sheriff’s Office]
