Holy Heist: Alabama Woman Stole $300,000 from Church to Spend on TikTok Coins

An Alabama woman pleaded guilty to stealing almost $300,000 from the Catholic church where she worked to pay for gifts for TikTok content creators and personal expenses, officials said.

Kristen Marie Battocletti, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with the scheme to embezzle approximately $300,000 from her employer, St. Francis of Assisi University Parish.

According to the charges filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama, Battocletti was employed as an administrative assistant at St. Francis, part of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, when she engaged in the scheme from April 2023 to October 2023.

Battocletti stole approximately $300,000, and used more than $220,000 to purchase TikTok Coins, which are used to send digital gifts to content creators on the social media app.

She spent the rest of the money on personal expenses.

Battocletti's sentencing has been set for Nov. 26.

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She faces up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

TMX contributed to this report.