Pastor Pleads Guilty to Post-Katrina ATM Theft at ASI FCU

NEW ORLEANS – A local pastor pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to stealing more than $13,000 from ASI FCU in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, one of thousands of members of the community development credit union who made offline cash withdrawals in the days following the ruinous storm. Aaron Frazier, a 43-year-old pastor at Temple of Christ Church, pled guilty to bank larceny and is scheduled to be sentenced August 8. Frazier was able to withdraw because a computer crash after the massive hurricane allowed members of the credit union to withdraw unlimited cash from ATMs. ASI said as many as 10,000 members overdrew their accounts as a result of the computer problems in the days after Katrina. About a dozen credit union members have been charged, those who allegedly took the most from the ATMs. Frazier had only $150 in his ASI account at the time, but was able to withdraw almost $13,000 over two weeks after the storm hit.