Woman Steals $300,000 from Tuscaloosa Catholic Church to Give to TikTokers

A woman stole around $300,000 from a Catholic church in Tuscaloosa and spent most of it on content creators on TikTok, federal authorities announced Friday.

Kristen Marie Battocletti is a 35-year-old who was an administrative assistant at St. Francis of Assisi University Parish near the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa until she was fired last fall and accused of stealing from the church.

Get our free mobile app

On Friday, the federal Department of Justice and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama said Battocletti has pled guilty to wire fraud. She reportedly stole about $300,000 from them during over 600 unauthorized transactions in six months last year.

About $220,000 was spent purchasing TikTok Coins, a virtual currency that can be spent on the super viral video-sharing app, and Battocletti is accused of spending them to send gifts to content creators on the platform. She also paid personal expenses with funds from the church, investigators allege.

The former assistant has reportedly agreed to plea guilty to the fraud charge, which could earn her a maximum of 20 years in prison and a find up to $250,000.