Hundreds of thousands of dollars reported missing from Joel Osteen’s church back in 2014 has been found in one of the bathroom walls inside the building.
The amount of $600,000 was found by a plumber called out to do some general work on the church. According to KPRC Channel 2, the plumber says he found the money in a wall at Lakewood while he was doing work at the church in early November.
The plumber, known only as Justin, reportedly found bags and bags of cash as he started working on the toilet and had to remove the tiles and insulation. It was reported the plumber removed 500 envelopes full of cash and checks found behind a loose toilet.
The church was burglarized back in 2014 and $600,000 was taken. The money was never recovered.
“That’s probably the most exciting thing that I’ve ever seen or done in my life,” he told KPRC Channel 2.
Evidence from the recovered checks suggests this November case is connected to the March 9, 2014 theft report of undisclosed amounts of money at the church, Houston police confirmed Friday.
The plumber said he should be rewarded.
“I didn’t solve their case but I solved very key important clues as to what could or may have happened there,” he said.
At the time of theft, Crimestoppers a $25,000 reward for the information leading to an arrest. But, because of the how the plumber found the loot and the expired statute of limitations on this particular felony theft case, Deputy Director Nichole Christoph says he will not get any dough.
Of all the zany things that happen in the church world, this story is right up there with the best of them. The church has not issued a response, but a fresh investigation as to how the money was actually found on the premises is sure to be under way.
Matthias Browning
Matthias Browning | Reporter
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