Sheila Quintana has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Oakland to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. This plea is tied to her role in a scheme to defraud congregations of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion Church) and private lenders across California.
Quintana, 71, of Vallejo, and co-defendant Staccato Powell, 65, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, were charged by a federal grand jury in January 2022. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Powell faced additional charges, including one count of mail fraud. Quintana waived indictment on the charges and has agreed to cooperate with the government.
Court documents state Powell and Quintana were officials of the Western Episcopal District, Inc. (WED, Inc.), which Powell established in 2016. Powell served as the chief executive officer, while Quintana became the chief financial officer in 2017. "Quintana admitted to using false statements and material omissions," the court documents reveal, "to obtain from local pastors grant deeds to church properties and then using fake resolutions."
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani disclosed that Quintana fraudulently secured mortgages on several church properties, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo and First AME Zion Church in San Jose.
In her guilty plea, Quintana admitted to creating false resolutions to authorize loans using church properties as collateral. The transactions involved properties of several churches in California, such as the University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto and Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland. Each of these transactions involved deceptive practices to secure loans against the properties without the congregations' consent.
Moreover, Quintana admitted between September 2018 and June 2019 to writing and signing checks payable to her spouse, which totaled $67,500. Quintana wrote these checks so that only Powell would be aware of the payments.
An information filed in April 2025 noted that WED, Inc., filed for bankruptcy in July 2020, claiming assets, including 11 churches and Powell’s residence, totaling over $26 million, with debts exceeding $12 million.
Sheila Quintana is scheduled to reappear in court on July 15, 2025. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The exact sentence will be determined following review under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the relevant federal statutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is leading the prosecution, with investigative support from the FBI.