A 46-year-old minister pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Savannah to a wire fraud scheme in which he stole at least $200,000 from the church where he was the pastor.

Kenneth Terrell admitted he spent the money on himself that was to be used for construction at New Harvest International Ministries.

A date to sentence him has not been set. Terrell could be sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

At the same time, Terrell also is awaiting trial on charges that he molested a young Effingham County boy who attended New Harvest with his family, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The Savannah newspaper also reported that Terrell has been accused of molesting another child and he has been charged with multiple counts of drunken driving, drug offenses, burglary, forgery, criminal trespass, obstruction and disorderly conduct.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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