By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

Calvin Tyrone Norton, 29, of Clarkton, was arrested here Tuesday on a charge of fraud involving a forged document that allowed him to transfer and use money in a church’s bank account.

Norton was released on an unsecured bond on a count of obtaining property by false pretense. The warrant was obtained by Andrew Pappas, an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation.

The case involves the alleged illegal transfer of $16,000 in funds “to safeguard them in another account” from a bank account of the True Way Church of Christ deposited in First Citizens Bank of Whiteville, court records show.

Two search warrants obtained by Pappas show an investigation was prompted last summer after Ron Williams, the “legitimate chairman of the board” of the True Way church met in Elizabethtown with Rob Davis, an attorney.

The search warrant notes Pappas began his probe following a request by District Attorney Rex Gore. The two search warrants provide the following information:

Financial advisor

Pappas met with Williams in April 2006 and was told by Williams that “though Norton had been allowed to act as a informal financial advisor to the church,” Norton had been given no position of authority nor was Norton an authorized signer of any account belonging to the church.

Williams told Pappas, a financial crimes investigator based in Raleigh, that Norton convinced Tony Prince, a legitimate signer on the True Way accounts, to accompany Norton to First Citizens Bank in Whiteville.

The purpose of the March 21, 2006 visit by Norton and Prince to First Citizens was to “safeguard” the True Way funds by transferring them to another account.

Norton represented himself to a First Citizens’ employee as president of the True Way church and requested that the church’s bank signature cards be changed by adding Norton to all three cards and removing other names.

Norton provided “notarized documentation to support” his representation that he was the president of the True Way church, and the paperwork included a “motion on demand to remove the signers from the signature cards and transfer the funds.”

A withdrawal of $5,566.31 was made from one True Way account and $1,480.65 was withdrawn from a second church account, and this action closed both accounts.

Returns alone

Norton returned alone to First Citizens in the afternoon of the same day and withdrew $9,000 from a source noted as True Way’s “convention account.”

The $9,000 was withdrawn in two checks made out to cash, one for $8,000 and the second for $1,000.

The investigation showed Norton deposited $6,846 in a Great Apostolic of the Apostles account at RBC Centura bank in Whiteville the same day of the withdrawal of funds from First Citizens.

Norton also had accounts with BB&T, and a $1,000 check on Norton’s personal account was written for cash on the same day of the other transactions at RBC Centura and First Citizens.

Norton filed with the Secretary of State on April 12, 2006 articles of dissolution which dissolved the True Way Apostolic Church of Christ, and noted all assets of the True Way entity had been transferred to Great Apostolic of the Apostles

The papers show Norton claimed to be president of the True Way group, and was also listed as president of the corporation to which the funds were transferred.

Norton was indicted on the fraud charge last week during a regular session of the Columbus County grand jury.