Thieves reportedly robbed hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card information, cash and checks from an Evangelical megachurch in Houston.
According to Texas law enforcement officials who spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday, the religious institution, headed up by Pastor Joel Osteen, was allegedly robbed of more than $600,000 in donations.
Police spokesperson Jodi Silva announced this week that the goods were reportedly taken from a safe inside the church.
"Given the fact that Lakewood is such a large church, obviously there's a lot more money that is taken into that church between tithing and offering," Silva told 1080 KRLD. "It's definitely a substantial amount."
No arrests have been made in connection with the crimes just yet, CBS News reported. It's also unclear just how much funds were stolen.
Authorities have confirmed the offerings were collected on Saturday and Sunday, and that the cash and check donations were held inside envelopes specifically used for such funds.
Officials from the church told CBS that this wasn't a breach of data - thieves took the physical money from the safe.
The CBS report states the stolen money was insured.
Osteen, who gives weekly sermons to an audience of at least 38,000 people, urged credit card donators to keep an eye on their checking and saving accounts for any potential fishy activity. Silva reiterated this statement in comments to CBS News.
This is a developing story. Check back for more information.
