Willie Jordan, a 68-year-old resident of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to one year in prison for his involvement in two separate fraud schemes targeting both a religious and a political organization. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III. In addition to the prison term, Jordan received one year of supervised release and was ordered to pay $142,991 in restitution as well as forfeiture of the same amount.
Jordan pleaded guilty in July to two counts of wire fraud. According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, he served as a deacon and trustee for a Philadelphia-based religious organization referred to as Religious Organization #1. In this role, he managed the organization's finances but did not receive a salary from them; instead, he was employed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as Director of Operations for a state senator.
From January 2020 through January 2024, Jordan misused his authority at Religious Organization #1 by issuing checks to himself under the guise of reimbursing expenses that were never incurred. These actions were carried out without the knowledge or consent of other trustees or members. In total, he issued about 82 fraudulent checks amounting to approximately $57,384.
Jordan also led Political Organization #1—one of Philadelphia’s 66 wards and part of Political Organization #2—since around 1996. He controlled its finances without receiving a salary. From January 2020 through January 2024, Jordan opened bank accounts in Political Organization #1’s name with himself as sole signatory and used debit cards linked to these accounts for personal purchases including airline tickets, car payments, furniture, groceries, credit card bills, utility bills, cellular phone bills, and more than $12,500 for funeral expenses for a family member in summer 2023. These transactions provided no benefit to Political Organization #1 and were conducted without member knowledge or approval. The losses from this scheme totaled at least $85,607.
United States Attorney David Metcalf stated: “Religious organizations and political organizations play important roles in our communities; they rely on their leaders’ honesty and integrity when it comes to managing funds that have been entrusted by congregants or donors.” Metcalf continued: “When someone abuses that trust for their own personal gain—as Willie Jordan did—it is not only illegal but deeply damaging.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen and Special Assistant United States Attorney James E. Price.
