TULSA, OK — Federal court documents outline how a former Tulsa Catholic deacon is accused of moving large sums of money from a local church into personal accounts.

Investigators say the alleged scheme involved repeated transfers kept under internal approval limits and efforts to conceal the activity.

Details are outlined in a federal filing dated April 28, 2026.

Investigators say John Sommer carried out at least 77 unauthorized ACH transfers from church accounts in 2025.

The transactions were made over several months while he handled financial duties for the parish.

Court documents say Sommer caused or attempted to transfer more than $1.5 million from church accounts, routing the money into accounts he owned or controlled, prosecutors say.

The filing states the church’s actual loss totaled about $1.46 million, reflecting transactions that were successfully completed.

Investigators say none of the money was used for legitimate church purposes.

Prosecutors say each transfer was kept under $30,000, which allowed transactions to go through without additional approvals under church policy.

The alleged fraud occurred over nearly seven months in 2025, according to the federal information.

One count details a transfer of about $130,000 between bank accounts tied to the defendant, described as part of unlawful monetary transactions tied to the alleged fraud.

Sommer faces one count of bank fraud and one count of unlawful monetary transactions in federal court.

Church officials say they uncovered the issue in October 2025 and reported it to law enforcement. Parish leaders say Sommer admitted to making unauthorized transfers and was removed from his role.

They also say most of the money has been recovered through insurance and that restricted funds, including endowments and capital campaigns, were not affected.

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