Man sentenced to prison after embezzling from Grand Rapids church Ryan Cummings By: FOX 17 and last updated 2021-05-14 13:17:42-04 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. â A Grand Rapids man who was accused of stealing more than $812,000 from his church has been sentenced to five to 15 years in prison, Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker told Fox 17 on Friday. Christian Bileth, 56, allegedly stole the money from St. Johnâs United Church of Christ between March 2014 and the end of 2019, according to an incident report from the Grand Rapids Police Department. It happened while he served as treasurer of the church and was in charge of its investment accounts.