Former Tulsa minister, Keith Rydell Mayes Sr. has been found guilty to federal charges which involves the misuse of church funds including unpaid taxes.
Keith Rydell Mayes Sr, 63, served as senior pastor of Historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tulsa after he was hired around October 2021. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, his responsibilities includes him overseeing church finances, donations and other financial transactions within the ministry.
Before he was found guilty, prosecutors said he opened an account which he named “Administrative Expenses” and happens to be the only authorized signer. Donations from church members, charitable organizations were all deposited into the account, but investigators found that those funds were diverted for his personal use.
The government further said, Mayes had created a brokerage account bearing the church name which he has used in receiving stock transfers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of the money were subsequently transferred for his personal benefit.
According to court documents, the funds were used for various personal expenses, including gambling and the purchase of firearms and ammunition.
63-years-old Mayes has pleaded guilty in federal court in Tulsa, and this includes bank fraud and tax evasion. As part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to repay at least $504,313.88, including approximately $205,765.60 owed to the Internal Revenue Service. He also agreed to forfeit the firearms and ammunition he purchased with the fraudulently obtained funds.
The case was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma after the charging information was unsealed on September 14, 2026.
The confirmation of this allegations and financial details have drawn attention because of Mayes’ former leadership position at Vernon AME Church, a historic congregation in Tulsa’s Greenwood District.
