Published: 14 December 2020
San Jose, California - Jonathan Chang, an elder at a South Bay church, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for stealing more than $7.5 million in donated funds intended for the church, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, United States District Judge.
The sentence follows a guilty verdict after a five-week trial in United States District Court. The evidence at trial demonstrated that Jonathan Chang, 64, of Cupertino, California, engaged in a scheme to defraud a wealthy donor of money intended to support the Home of Christ 4 Christian Church (HOC4), located in Saratoga, California. Chang, who served as an elder responsible for managing the finances of the church, furthered his scheme by creating entities with names similar to the church. He then directed more than $6.7 million from