Florida pastor, 56, who livestreamed morality sermons, is arrested for turning his halfway home into an organized crime gang that stole $1.4 MILLION dollars from Florida Home Depots

A pastor and his family face federal charges for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar organized crime ring — which the FBI said was run in part out of his then parish.

A former pastor of The Rock Church & Recovery Program in St. Petersburg, Florida, Robert Dell, 56, is accused of collaborating with his accomplices to systematically steal approximately $1.4 million worth of goods from Home Deport in the central section of the state – before selling the stolen items on eBay.

Dell, whose livestream sermons on morality can still be seen on the church’s social media, teamed up with his 39-year-old wife, Jaclyn Dell, and 72-year-old mother, Karen Hurley Dell, to operate the shopping ring, said fed. , announcing the arrest of the trio on Monday.

She and two others, Daniel Mace and Jessica Wild, are being charged as co-conspirators in Dell’s alleged crimes, which officials say were committed over the course of more than 10 years.

In a release announcing their statements, the Florida Attorney General denounced Dell for using his positions as a pastor and owner of a halfway house near the church “to manipulate other vulnerable people into participating in the criminal scheme.”

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Dell, a former pastor of The Rock Church in St. Petersburg, is accused of systematically stealing products from stores in Central Florida along with his accomplices – and then selling the stolen items on eBay. He is seen giving a sermon in St Petersburg Parish in 2019

“This pastor has clearly skipped the commandment — thou shalt not steal,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody snapped in Monday’s press release.

“Our FORCE task force stopped his criminal operation in which he stole millions of dollars worth of merchandise from Home Depot stores across the state to resell the items on eBay.

“We do not tolerate organized shoplifting in Florida and my office will continue to fight these criminal organizations.”

The release added that the two people who are not related to Dell stole most of the merchandise – including Milwaukee, DeWalt and other branded products – from about five to six stores a day before providing Dell with the tools to go online. resold.

The couple’s relationship with the ex-pastor was not specified, but authorities specifically said Dell used his role in the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme.

Officials said the targeted Home Depot stores were located hundreds of miles away, in Citrus, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.

A six-month investigation conducted by Moody’s office documented at least $1.4 million in losses from these stores, while Brass at Home Depot puts the number at more than $5 million, citing the duration and frequency of the thefts. .

His wife, Jaclyn, and his mother, Karen, also aided in the plan, the FBI said — collecting and shipping the stolen goods into an eBay account called “Anointed Liquidator.”

The couple also helped pay for the goods, mainly power tools and other expensive appliances, the FBI wrote.

For this, Jaclyn – whose social media accounts are filled with words of faith-based inspiration – was charged with conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, while Karen was charged with trafficking in stolen property.

Dell teamed up with his 39-year-old wife, Jaclyn Dell, and 72-year-old mother, Karen Hurley Dell, to operate the retail ring, the Fed said when announcing the trio’s arrest Monday.

Fed said Dell used his positions as a pastor and owner of a church shelter to “manipulate other vulnerable people into participating in the criminal scheme.” The St. Petersburg parish, which has since distanced itself from its former pastor, can be seen this year

The FBI also arrested Daniel Mace and Jessica Wild on Monday, who they said stole most of their goods, including expensive power tools, before returning them to the Dells to sell. Their relationship with Dell was not specified, but authorities specifically said Dell used his role in the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme

Both are held on $250,000 bail, while Dell’s was set at $750,000. He is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, trafficking in stolen property (organized), and extortion.

He was also charged with drug possession, records from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office showed, though it was unclear what substance justified the charge.

After the string of arrests, authorities specifically said Dell used his role in the halfway house and as a pastor to manipulate people into participating in the scheme.

The arrest — which prompted statements from Home Depot’s asset protection department and Florida’s agriculture commissioner — comes as organized retail crime has become an increasingly common problem for retailers such as Home Depot,

Scott Glenn, Home Depot’s Vice President of Asset Protection, said in a statement that “Home Depot is fighting (that phenomenon) on all fronts.”

“We are proud to partner with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to work together to prevent dangerous criminals from stealing from our stores,” he added of the big-box store’s partnership to bring the to expose theft with the state.

The pair would hit about five to six stores a day, before the tools were delivered to Dell (seen here) to be resold online, the FBI said

Dell’s wife – and mother (not pictured) – are being held on $250,000 bond, while his was set at $750,000. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, trafficking in stolen property and racketeering, while the pair were charged with conspiracy and theft.

FDACS Commissioner Wilton Simpson praised the investigators, including Moody’s Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange (FORCE) Taskforce, for solving the case.

“This operation sends a clear signal that Florida is relentless in our pursuit of justice and will not tolerate these criminal activities,” he said.

Dell’s not-so-subtly-named eBay account that sold the massive catalog of stolen goods has since been deactivated, and the church where he served as pastor for years has since tried to distance itself from their former pastor who worked there more. than a decade.

In a statement on their website’s homepage, as well as an accompanying statement on social media, the church/restoration program said, “Just to clear the record. Robert Dell is NOT the pastor of the rock church.

“He was also not the founding pastor,” the group added.

“He was the Pastor when it was called the Rock Community Church and Transformation Center, and hasn’t been a Pastor for the last 2 1/2 years.”

The Rock Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment.