TikTok Temptation: Church Administrator Embezzles $300,000 to Fund Online Gifts and Personal Expenses
In a shocking case of embezzlement, Kristen Marie Battocletti, a former administrative assistant at an Alabama Catholic church, pleaded guilty to misappropriating approximately $300,000 to fund gifts for TikTok content creators and cover personal expenses. Battocletti, 35, admitted to one count of wire fraud involving the misappropriation of funds from St. Francis of Assisi University Parish during her appearance in a federal courtroom in Tuscaloosa. According to court documents, she orchestrated a scheme from April 2023 to October 2023, using over $220,000 of the embezzled money to purchase TikTok digital coins for gifts to content creators and to pay for her personal expenses.
Battocletti’s fraudulent activities involved executing more than 600 unauthorized transactions, according to the indictment announced by U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. She faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge, along with three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler has scheduled Battocletti’s sentencing for November 26. This case highlights the dangers of online temptation and the importance of accountability in financial management, particularly in sacred institutions.
