"Weymouth man pleads guilty in connection with scheme to rob church
A Weymouth man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 13 counts, including racketeering, after he stole millions of dollars in financial assets from a Boston church over a decade, according to the office of US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. Edward J. MacKenzie Jr., 56, also pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering in federal court in Boston, Ortiz’s office said. In 2003, MacKenzie became the Boston Society of New Jerusalem Church’s first director of operations, which included a starting salary of more than $100,000 annually. MacKenzie then used his power to vote co-conspirators into authoritative positions in order to drain the church of funds and assets, according to Ortiz’s office."
