Plumber finds loads of cash & checks stashed in toilet of Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church

Seven years after pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas reported burglars stole $600,000 in cash and checks from its safe, a plumber doing work at the church has made what is being called a “bombshell” discovery.

The Houston Chronicle reports about 3,000 envelopes, full of cash and checks, poured out of a wall when workers moved tile and insulation behind a loose toilet during a repair Nov. 10. The news source cites releases from Lakewood Church and reporting from KPRC News.

More information on the discovery was reportedly revealed on the radio talk show “The Morning Bullpen” on 100.3 The Bull when one of the plumbers called in.

The host for the show, George Lindsey, said in an interview with KPRC News the items the plumber said he found in the walls were “just unbelievable.”

“There was a loose toilet in the wall, and we removed the tile,” the caller reportedly said. “We went to go remove the toilet, and I moved some insulation away and about 500 envelopes fell out of the wall, and I was like ‘Oh wow!’”

Lakewood Church officials reported the discovery to police after they were made aware of it, according to a statement published by KHOU 11 News.

Recently, while repair work was being done at Lakewood Church, an undisclosed amount of cash and checks were found. Lakewood immediately notified the Houston Police Department and is assisting them with their investigation,” the church said in the statement. “Lakewood has no further comment at this time.

In March 2014, church officials reported thieves cracked a safe and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars. Houston Police at the time reported $200,000 in cash and $400,000 worth of checks had been taken in the theft.

“Police never made any arrest[s] in the 2014 theft and it is unclear where the case left off,” the Houston Chronicle reports.

Crime Stoppers of Houston did offer a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the burglars, KPRC News reported. The statute of limitations on the case has since expired, meaning reward money is no longer up for grabs.

(Dayton247now)