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	Parishioner Alleges Fraud by Top Church Officials By Ryan Sabalow Record Searchlight April 5, 2008 http://www.redding.com/news/2008/apr/05/parishioner-alleges-fraud/ All is not well within the Bonnyview Baptist Church. Members of the once-prominent Redding church are suing their pastor and members of the church's board of directors, alleging parishioners have been defrauded by leaders who have pocketed tens of thousands of dollars. In civil court papers filed in late March in Shasta County Superior Court, parishioner Michael Duffy says that the Rev. Danny Ray Smith was hired to be the pastor at Bonnyview Baptist Church in August 2006. The church's parent organization is identified as the First Southern Baptist Church of Redding in the documents. Two months after Smith arrived from Texas, it became apparent to many church members that he had ulterior motives, alleges Duffy, who writes in the complaint that he is speaking on behalf of "numerous" other parishioners. "(Smith) arrived with an agenda to reduce the membership, sell the church property and then start a new church in a different location," Duffy's attorneys wrote in his complaint. Duffy alleges that with the help of church directors Steve McCollum, Thirl Baker and Tony Magdaleno, Smith conspired to sell the church to Destiny Fellowship in Anderson without first having church members vote on the sale. Duffy alleges the attempted sale of the church violates its founding bylaws. Duffy next alleges that the church leaders committed fraud by pocketing $90,000 Redding gave the church in exchange for land needed to widen South Bonnyview Road. The money was supposed to be used to pay down the $325,611 the church owes to the California Baptist Foundation, which owns the deed to the church site, the court papers allege. But instead the money was "kept by the defendants and distributed amongst themselves for their personal use," the documents say. Spokesmen from the Redding Police Department and the Shasta County district attorney's office said Friday that no criminal investigations have been started. Meanwhile, the membership at the church has suffered, said Duffy's Redding attorney John W. Reese Jr. As few as 15 or 20 church members fill the pews each Sunday — down from the nearly 170 who used to attend before Smith became pastor, Reese said. Smith could not be reached for comment Thursday or Friday. No one was at the church Thursday afternoon. McCollum, Baker and Magdaleno didn't return repeated voice messages left at their homes. Reporter Ryan Sabalow can be reached at 225-8344 or at rsabalow@redding.com
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